Nightcrawler- Review

Behind the consumerist, fear-mongering world in which headlines and news anchors lie, there is a mastermind behind the graphic footage we as an audience have all been invited to. In Dan Gilroy's thrilling film, Jake Gyllenhaal brings his Midas touch to summon one deeply disturbed individual to life and ensures a sensational rollercoaster ride of a viewing.

In Los Angeles, Louis Bloom is considered a nobody. Unemployed yet determined, he sets off to find work wherever he can. As the world grows darker after Lou's arrival into the industry of freelance crime filmography, his work begins to take over his thought process and leads down a path of impulsive behaviour.

Jake Gyllenhaal is an exceptional Lou. Not only did he lose nearly 13kg for the role, but his overall character development process for this film was on point. Watching him go from being a shady, optimistic oddball to a manipulative and greedy sociopath was quite interesting. Like his many other brilliant films, Jake takes his roles seriously and builds them into something of his own.

It is a truly brilliant idea to have a film about behind the scenes work of a news industry that focuses mainly on the masterminds and what actual pulls reporting together. We as a society have grown accustomed to the fact that our world is imperfect and that everyday there will be a gloomy report from somewhere in the world, however, when we see crimes based in suburbia it causes public fear. So to have this film contain real shock value and relevance to actual society is incredibly important.

There are also a variety of themes in this film that work to show us the true reality of certain lifestyles, career choices and harsh reality. These include the connection between unethical journalism and consumer demand and the lengths one would travel for success.

Nightcrawler is a dark and disturbing film that embodies the corrupt society in which we live and the parasitic individuals who reside within it to deliver to us muddy journalism that does not aim for truth, but for the supply and demand that we feed it. It is intense and is impossible to turn away from.

Score: 10/10.