Nightcrawler

Having to choose between Serena that got very poor reviews but starring Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper and Nightcrawler a movie with great reviews but starring Jake Gyllennhaal whose last movie I had seen of him was the 2004 The Day After Tomorrow I ended up with Nightcrawler and I don’t regret it. 

Nightcrawler is intense and shows the extremes people are willing to go in pursuit of their goals. The movie is really well directed with some incredible shots and the story is engaging. 

Gyllennhaal does a fantastic job playing Bloom and many times during the movie selling the point with just his facial expression. The rest of the cast does a good job as well with special note to Rene Russo as Nina. 

Here’s the plot from Wikipedia:

Caught stealing from a Los Angeles construction site, Lou Bloom attacks a security guard and steals his watch. Negotiating a price for the stolen material at a scrap yard, Bloom asks for a job, but the manager tells him he will not employ a thief.

Inspired by an amateur film crew he sees shooting footage of a car crash, Lou trades a stolen racing bicycle for a camcorder and a radio scanner, and shoots the aftermath of a carjacking to sell to a local TV station. The morning news director, Nina, buys the footage and encourages Lou to continue his work. She stipulates that the station is most interested in footage of violent incidents in affluent neighborhoods, since these attract the most viewers. Lou hires an assistant, Rick, a young man desperate for money.

To get better footage, Lou alters crime scenes, including moving a corpse. His work gains traction and he purchases better equipment and a faster car. He turns down a business offer from a competitor and sabotages his van, causing an accident which Lou films. He threatens to end his business relationship with Nina unless she agrees to sex, knowing her job depends on his footage.

Lou and Rick arrive before the police at the site of a home invasion in Granada Hills, an affluent neighborhood. Lou records footage of the perpetrators leaving in their SUV and of the victims in the house. The news staff worry that airing the footage is unethical, but Nina is eager to break the story. In exchange, Lou demands more money and public credit.

The police become suspicious of Lou and ask for his footage of the home invasion. He gives them an edited tape, withholding footage identifying the gunmen, then locates the gunmen himself and stakes them out at a restaurant with Rick. Scared, Rick demands half the money Lou stands to make, or else face Rick going to the police. Lou agrees, calls 911 to report the suspects, and gets ready to film the confrontation. He demands Rick get out of the car to shoot a supporting angle; Rick complies when Lou threatens him with violence.

The police arrive at the restaurant and exchange gunfire with the suspects. One is killed and the other escapes in the SUV. The police give chase, with Lou and Rick tailing and recording. After the SUV crashes, Lou urges Rick to film the suspect, claiming he is dead. The suspect shoots Rick and tries to escape. More officers arrive and shoot the suspect dead. As Rick lies dying, Lou films him and tells him he cannot work with someone he does not trust.

Nina is delighted by the footage and expresses her devotion to Lou. The news team discovers that the “home invasion” was actually a drug deal gone wrong; Nina omits this information to maximize the story’s emotional impact. Police try to confiscate the footage for evidence, but Nina defends her right to withhold it.

Interrogated by police, Lou fabricates a story about the men in the van following him; the detective sees through it, but has no evidence. Lou invests in branded vans and hires a team of interns to expand his business.