Director: Dan Gilroy
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Renee Russo, Bill Paxton, Riz Ahmed
Certificate: 15
Running Time: 117 minutes
Synopsis: NIGHTCRAWLER follows the journey of Lou Bloom (Gyllenhaal) as he enters the world of after-hours crime scene journalism.
Morning television in Britain is either BBC Breakfast or Good Morning Britain, both feature news but are primarily more like light-hearted magazine style shows. The States early morning shows are vastly different, focussing very much on breaking news from the night before, the more shocking the better. NIGHTCRAWLER investigates the world of those that work to bring these hard-hitting stories to the screen. We enter this seedy world, where ratings are key, via Lou Bloom, a drifter searching for a career path.
The success and validity of the film rests solely on the shoulders of Gyllenhaal. Gyllenhaal burst onto the scene in Richard Kelly’s brilliant DONNIE DARKO, and NIGHTCRAWLER sees him play another socially inept character. Bloom is an odd eccentric, clearly suffering with some manner of Aspergers with sociopathic tendencies to boot; he is a strange fellow. A very driven individual, Lou is keen to make a name for himself and after a chance encounter with Bill Paxton’s Joe Loder, a ‘nightcrawler’ (a crime scene camera man), he sets himself a new goal to be just like Loder. After several bumbled attempts he starts to find his feet and in Renee Russo’s Nina, a ruthless news director, he finds a kindred soul. Hungry to climb the business ladder he slowly starts to push boundaries in a bid to be the best of the best.
Not afraid to lose friends and alienate people, Bloom also has a dark manipulative side; think Littlefinger from Game of Thrones and you’re along the right track. His fondness for rousing self-help style speeches are equal parts creepy and influential. The most frightening part of Bloom is that there really are people that ambitious and power-hungry in the world, that will go to any lengths to achieve their goals. Gyllenhaal plays Bloom to perfection, giving a nuanced and memorable performance. His gaunt appearance (Gyllenhaal lost twenty pounds to play the role) makes him not look himself, disconnecting Gyllenhaal and Bloom. Within the first few minutes the audience completely believes that Gyllenhaal IS Bloom and he will surely find himself a contender when award season arrives. To counter balance the socially awkward Lou there is his assistant Rick. Played by FOUR LIONS’ Riz Ahmed, Rick provides some of the lighter moments; the most entraining being what has to be one of the most awkward job interviews ever. He also injects some soul and human emotion into the proceedings, two elements that Bloom himself is totally devoid of.
It’s not just the acting or plot that sizzles, Robert Elswit’s cinematography is breathtaking. The opening two minutes showcase a small snippet of the luscious visuals that will inhabit the screen for the next two hours. One of the earliest shots of the film; an inky dark sky illuminated by a full luminous yellow moon, is particularly stunning. The inner city landscapes are strewn with neon lights casting a green-yellow hue over the piece; Elswit captures the atmosphere of a busy cityscape with tremendous talent. Bloom himself is obsessed with framing his shots and this is a mantra that Elswit must also live by. Everything in shot adds to the story, nothing is overlooked or out of place. NIGHTCRAWLER showcases some of the best night vistas since Michael Mann’s COLLATERAL.
NIGHTCRAWLER will have you hooked from the beginning, with it’s beautiful images, steely acting and immersive story. A character study and thriller rolled into one, the movie manages what many can’t these days, to be original. In the midst of remakes, adaptations, based on real events, sequels and prequels, NIGHTCRAWLER delivers a modern classic not easily forgotten. Even more impressive is the fact that the project is the directorial debut of Dan Gilroy. An accomplished piece of film-making that explores the nocturnal underbelly of the City of Angels.
[usr=5] NIGHTCRAWLER is in cinemas now.
