Lou Bloom is a sick pup. That he has no clue of his particularly eerie insularity makes him all the more entertaining. And scary. In a performance which is particularly outstanding, Jake Gyllenhaal gives us a Lou who is bent on making it in the big world out there–in this case, Los Angeles, and specifically, a Los Angeles of horrific high crime and ruthless television news departments eager to capitalize on the pain of innocent victims.
Lou, who lives alone and seems to have not one friend, stumbles upon a vocation whose nature matches his own intensity: that of the “Nightcrawler,” or photojournalistic chaser of the sensational and the prurient. Violent crimes against those who live in good neighborhoods are his prime target. Armed with a cheap camcorder, Lou goes up against an established photographer (here portrayed by Bill Paxton with his usual aplomb). Eager to drive at breakneck speeds, and possessing not one ethical qualm, Lou carves a place for himself. He worms his way into the good graces of ratings-hungry local television news director Nina (Rene Russo). For a guy who seems every bit the recluse, Lou shows a remarkable ability to schmooze and manipulate people of all stations. He’s equally comfortable working his way into the inner circles of Nina’s TV newsroom as he is commandeering his shaky sidekick (Riz Ahmed), who’s one moment hired as an “intern,” and seemingly the next appointed to “Executive Vice President” of Lou’s self-described “successful TV news business.”
Nightcrawler would qualify as solid satire on media ruthlessness and lone wolf eccentricity, were it not such a chilling depiction of the real possibilities of what could go wrong when a hyper-determined nut job is unleashed amidst an increasingly unscrupulous industry. Bent on the vanities spurred by the almighty dollar and job security that dwarf decency and common sense, the media types portrayed here could easily have gone off the rails into melodrama. What anchors things nicely, though, is the thoroughly believable power contained in Lou’s drive and his unabashed, always-somewhat-below-the-surface sociopathy. Both a lovable con man and a self-deluded maniac, Lou goes for broke. Director Dan Gilroy (co-screenwriter of The Bourne Legacy) has made a film that is both a real kick, and one that teeters on the edge of many of our worst fears. Nightcrawler delivers a disquieting dagger.