Nightcrawler

*****
UK Release Date: October 31st 2014

When Lou Bloom, a driven man desperate for work, muscles into the world of L.A. crime journalism, he blurs the line between observer and participant to become the star of his own story. Aiding him in his effort is Nina, a TV-news veteran.

Director: Dan Gilroy (writer of Real Steel and The Bourne Legacy)

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Bill Paxton, Rene Russo, Riz Ahmed

Everything happens at night. At least it does for Lou Bloom, Jake Gyllenhaal's creepy, solitary optimist. He's a cunning, daring thief who's determined to make a name for himself.

After witnessing a journalist (Paxton) filming a major traffic accident and being swiftly rejected when he offers free work, Bloom buys (or rather trades with stolen goods) a crappy digital camcorder and a police frequency unit and starts his journey. He records the footage of crimes on the streets of Los Angeles and sells it to Nina (Russo), a television broadcaster. She wants big ratings and he'll do anything to score big, even at the expense of others.

Bloom is an lonesome man similar to Drive's nameless driver. His actions and motives propel us deeper in to darkness. If it bleeds, it leads. The horrible crime scenes rake in the cash. It's true to say that the public love a decent story and a little painful to admit the most horrendous ones are the ones we'll come back to.

What makes Nightcrawler such an endearing and mesmerising watch is Gyllenhaal. He's absolutely stunning from start to finish. There's definitely a psychological instability controlling him and his actions, but nothing of the sort is mentioned by the writers. Bloom's drive and determination to be a boss of his own company is comical, maniacal and heartening all at once. 

For all its troubles and burdens, L.A is beautiful when lit up at night. The external settings are a complete contrast of Lou's night-crawling. The DoP has been thorough with his research because even the dankest, murkiest corners look half decent.

Dan Gilroy has no previous directing titles to his name. Having written the script for 2011's Real Steel and 2012's The Bourne Legacy, Gilroy has been given the green light for his directorial début, and what a scorcher it is. He can do this more often. With a tight, organised script with a string of fine actors (Riz Ahmed wistfully scores as jittery Rick, who's hired by Bloom) and a musical score that gets the blood pumping, Nightcrawler is the perfect thriller.