Nightcrawler

[weliveandbreathewords]

I'm in two minds about this film.

On one hand, it was tense, the main protagonist or antagonist in most respects is creepy and calculated. I found it hard to believe that he just fell into Nichtcrawling but I do hope that this sort of stuff does not happen into the real world today, especially in both cases in which they made it to the scene before the police.
I thought the film was great, and as an adequate measure of how tense it was, I have no nails left(I never chew my nails usually).
But on the other hand, I'm thinking, if I saw it again, I know what to expect and I'm not certain Id enjoy it as much.

And for that reason I'm gonna give it 6/10

[nosila50]

Went to the Edinburgh Showing at the Omni on Monday night and was riveted from start to Finish.
Gyllenhaal was brilliant in the role and so creepy and intense... miles away from his usual roles.

Would highly recommend.

9/10

[vealster]

Saw this at Stratford picture house, my only criticism was how relentlessly dark it was and none of the main characters was very likeable but then that's kind of the point.

Thought there were excellent performances from Bill Paxton, Rene Ruso and Jane Gyllenhalls evil motivational speaker speak was very unsettling indeed.

I give it 8/10

[steve9872]

Thought there were excellent performances from Bill Paxton, Rene Ruso and Jane Gyllenhalls evil motivational speaker speak was very unsettling indeed.

I didn't know he has a sex change op, when was this?

[kevinknapman]

I thought this was a compelling and disturbing thriller driven by a fantastically gaunt, creepy and magnetic Jake Gyllenhaal performance. It's a performance that borders on the annoying but remains fascinating to watch despite this. Solid support too from Rene Russo, Riz Ahmed and Bill Paxton.

The Bourne Legacy screenwriter Dan Gilroy makes an excellent directorial debut working from his own impressive script. Hard to believe this is from the same person who co-wrote the screenplay for dodgy Emilio Estevez/Mick Jagger sci-fi debacle Freejack (even though wife Rene Russo appears in both).

Though Robert Elswit deserves an equal amount of praise as Gyllenhaal & Gilroy. This is stunningly shot and a great 'LA at night' movie.

[Nazerino]

Nightcrawler(2014) review
This is a film which received publicity via a brief picture of Jake Gyllenhaal joining the method actors club with the changed weight loss appearance(i.e. Matthew McCounaughy for Dallas Buyers Club in Oscar winning form and of course Christian Bale before Batman in the Machinist). This is perhaps his best performance to date and very unfortunate that he was not Oscar nominated for it given that his performance had less academy votes against a number of symbolic biopic roles which fit the Oscar criteria.

We start off with Louis Bloom (Gyllenhaal) who instantly indicates that the viewer should not be routing for him with the first deed he executes without any remorse. Here is a young man who is clearly trying to make a name for himself with his attempts to land a job with persuasive charm. We start to get an insight into the side of media coverage rarely discussed in mainstream cinema as indicated in the title of the film. Unsurprisingly the TV station industry is portrayed as cut throat, crass and venal in Bloom’s attempt to seduce TV executive Nina Romina (played by the ever elegant Rene Russo). The journey of self-establishment in the industry is one of great intrigue given the modern day media coverage of success in our age of affluenza.

The film has a very neat supporting cast which includes star of the future Riz Ahmed playing a vulnerable and more sensitive young unemployed man trying to earn his way into an industry which demands a far thicker skin. Bill Paxton convinces as the man who inspires Bloom into the nightcrawling industry when we see cameramen filming victims in the night in their moment of need whilst the lawmen aid them. Everyone feeds of the Gyllenhaal’s sociopathic performance who persuades an audience to feel his drive and frustration in achieving his goals.

The film does not rely a lot on background music in order to make the situation as realist as possible. The film, almost like in Batman, is featured mainly in the beautiful night without the vehicles or graphics being too fancy or CGI. The settings are brilliant especially in the TV studios where the key new stories are read and what Bloom hopes to be doing in the near future. The media images on the new broadcast panel of where Russo is making her final cut decisions are clearly manipulated with flashy images to display such tragic accident and murder scenes as the objects of desire for both Russo & Gyllenhaal in their sociopathic relationship for ratings and profit.

The ultimate lesson for the film is success without conscience and at all costs. The film demonstrates that those who get to the top neglect many aspects and are unmoved by the collateral damage. Channel 4 did a 2 hour documentary of Psychopath night where fellow Brokeback Mountain star Heath Ledger’s turn as the Joker was voted as the top movie psychopath-a person only empathetic to oneself. Louis Bloom is definitely worth a mention in the near future. He might also get a mention in a new edition of Oliver James’ office politics of the new meaning of “hard work”. The rating is R but the film has no faults and you don’t have to be a Gyllenhaal fan to enjoy the ride.

[The Sparrow]

For clarification purposes, there is no R rating in the UK. Nightcrawler is rated 15.

[missgotty]

Jake Gyllenhaal is super creepy in this film. A good film, it captures the extent of the lengths desperate people will got to, to get recognition and a position of power at work. Screwing people over and standing on those to climb up the 'corporate ladder' is definitely at play here. Jake plays the role brilliantly but it is a very disturbing film. It makes you think how far journalists will go to get that story each time, especially with increasing competition for their rivals.

8/10