Nightcrawler:
Louis "Lou" Bloom is a scrap metal thief in Los Angeles who decides to go into the business of filming breaking news stories (i.e. car crashes, fires, murders, shooting, etc.) and selling the footage to local news stations. Lou becomes what is known as a "stringer" or "nightcrawler", and begins to form a rivalry with the already-established stringers in the city. Lou enlists the help of the down-on-his-luck Rick, and the two become increasingly skilled in the business, and Lou decides it may be time to kick things up a notch to get the best stories. Did I also mention Lou is a complete psychopath?
Jake Gyllenhaal is one of my favorite actors working today. His performances are always brilliant, no matter how poor a script or director may be, and he always impresses me. This is no exception. Here, at the top of his game, Gyllenhaal gives the portrait of Lou as a disturbed young man who is a master manipulator and all-around sociopathic creep. Even when trying to be friendly and charming, I could tell something's off about him, and the entire movie is a well-crafted character piece surrounding him. He's extremely calm, articulate, and calculating, but also has bursts of intense emotion, which makes him unpredictable and terrifying. Gyllenhaal is so good in the role it makes you look at him in a new light, and he sort of becomes the character, which is unsettling but also shows commitment to the craft. His performance reminded me of Matt Damon in The Talented Mr. Ripley, because he's such a well-known and likable actor, so when you see him pulling off such a creepy role it makes it all the more effective. Some of his creepiness is actually played for black comedy, which doesn't distract from the rest of the movie, but instead improves it.
Rene Russo (the director's wife) plays Nina, who is a morning news director at an LA news station who begins to form a professional friendship with Lou. She does a fair job, as does the rest of the cast. Riz Ahmed is Rick, Lou's reluctant partner and protege, who can't really be described as Lou's "friend", but more like his sidekick who is somewhat afraid of him. Ahmed is probably the best member of the cast, because he gets the most development as a character. It's impressive considering this is his first major role in an American film. Bill Paxton plays Joe Loder, Lou's rival who has been a nightcrawler for about fifteen years, who feels threatened by the up-and-coming Lou. Even though he's an asshole (which Paxton really sells), you can't help but understand where he's coming from, and it's hard to really sympathize with Lou that much in this situation. Ann Cusack (sister of John and Joan Cusack) has a supporting role in the film as well. The cast, besides Gyllenhaal, aren't given that much of a chance to shine (as the film is all about Lou), but they all serve their purpose and deliver solid performances.
This was Dan Gilroy's directorial debut (at age 55, no less) and I'm already excited to see what he does next. His script is fresh and intense, and he was able to really capture what makes a psychopath. The cinematography by Robert Elswit is slick and relaxed, and the visuals in the film are very bright, with an almost neon tint, very similar to other neo-noir and thriller films like Drive and Maniac, which were also set in L.A. James Newton Howard's music score is subtle, with an almost techno vibe, and is used sparingly, but effectively. It's cool to see a blockbuster composer like Howard do some smaller projects like this.
The film is very good at building tension, with every conversation between Lou and other characters having me on the edge of my seat, not knowing what he would do next. There is a car chase/shootout sequence in the film that was exciting and shot with extreme precision. It was one of the highlights of the film for me.
Nightcrawler may not be a film I'll see three times during its' theatrical run, but it's definitely one I'll watch for when it comes out on Blu-ray, and it's definitely worth seeing in the theater with a nice sound system and big screen, to really appreciate the cinematography and car chase sequence. Gyllenhaal's performance is Oscar worthy and gets under your skin, and this may be Ahmed's breakthrough role, as well as Gilroy's breakthrough film. 4/5 stars.
(Image: Wikipedia)
No comments:
Post a Comment