Writer Dan Gilroy – who has written the screenplays for such action-packed thrillers as TWO FOR THE MONEY, REAL STEEL and THE BOURNE LEGACY decides to sit in the Director’s chair this time around, along with writing the screenplay this time too, for the much anticipated psychological thriller – NIGHTCRAWLER.
As we meet the very odd and out of work Louis Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) he is in search of any way to make a few bucks to get by. When he happens upon an accident scene and photo journalist Joe Loder (Bill Paxton), he is intrigued to find out that this type of job – filming accidents, crimes, homicides for local television stations is apparently a very lucrative business.
Lou decides that he has just happened upon the PERFECT JOB FOR HIM, and sets forth to make his name as the lead photojournalist in LA. How do you do this you ask? By making sure that you have the best shots of any tragic scene – plus – making sure that you form a professional and eventually a personal relationship with the news director of the #3 station in LA, Nina Romina (Rene Russo), as Nina will stop at nothing to make sure that her news station is #1 once the ratings season hits.
Lou decides to bring on “an employee” to help his business, so he secures the efforts of someone else in search of changing his life around, Rick (played by Riz Ahmed). As Lou and Rick try to establish and formulate the boundaries of this arrangement – which consists of Lou paying Rick next to nothing all the while trying to broaden his business sense by shouting out all of the “business 101 concepts” he can drum up, Rick is feeling like he is being taken advantage of, and is beginning to feel very uncomfortable with Lou, and his scheming ways of making sure they arrive first on the scene each and every time.
When they happen upon a home invasion in progress, and realize they have arrived before any police, Lou decides to film the entire scene, including the perpetrators and the all the victims inside…..say what?
Will Lou and his “crazy ways” make him the professional journalist he wants to become or just make him a liar and killer who creates the news? Will Lou decide that the only way to become #1 may only be achieved by taking out his competition? Will Lou be able to form the personal relationship he needs in his life with Nina, even though she is fighting him every step of the way? Or will Lou take whatever means necessary to make sure that both his professional and personal life plays out exactly as HE HAS PLANNED?
I give NIGHTCRAWLER a B: Playing a character far from anything you have ever seen before from Gyllenhaal, he mesmerizes you with his creepy and psychotic demeanor, with glimpses of normal thrown in just for good measure, and the fact that he can go back and forth from normal to psychotic so easily, is the creepiest part of it all. Russo stands out in her role as the News Director who will do anything to finally be on top – in more ways than one – and Bill Paxton was also the right choice to play to other Nightcrawler, as he gives a very convincing and dramatic performance too. Rest assured that if you are someone who totally enjoys psychological thrillers, NIGHTCRAWLER is the movie for you to catch this weekend at a theater near you!
Kathy Kaiser
MATINEE CHAT with Kathy Kaiser 