Nightcrawler

#3 - Nightcrawler

Occasionally there comes a film in which the setting and location becomes a character in itself. Sometimes a location’s creepy aesthetic comes across to accentuate the mood of a horror film, such as Psycho, The Amityville Horror or The Shining. In other instances, the setting is a city, home to a varied set of characters, such as Batman’s Gotham City or Basin City seen in Robert Rodriguez’s Sin City, becoming almost a safe haven for crazy and deranged people. A film’s location can also mirror a character’s worst flaws and habits, highlighting their terrible true nature when all they portray is the façade of who they want to be.

This is where we find the central figure of Nightcrawler, Leo Bloom.  Bloom (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) is a goal-orientated, hard-working young man who will strive at achieving a goal once he sets himself one.  However, he lacks that goal. After stumbling across a highway crash and the people recording footage for the local news stations, Leo delves into independent video journalism who make impressive amounts of money filming burning wreckages.

The deserted streets of after hours California is perfect for Leo's story. It highlights the flawed and frenzied aspiration that Leo eventually gains in this lucrative business, whilst also hints at the dark and disturbing reality that lies behind it. All the while appearing like a typical American-dream city, it hides a cut-throat reality with business and money solely in mind. Beautifully shot by Robert Elswit, the comparison between Leo's tiny apartment and the mansions in which he films his crime scenes are found to house just the same class of criminal.

Gyllenhaal has had a very varied career. From breaking onto the scene in Donnie Darko, I have held his acting talent in high regard. Whether staring in low-budget, high-concept sci-fi such as Source Code or beefing up for action in Jarhead or End of Watch, he always manages to be charismatic, empathetic and endearing. However this is the complete opposite to Leo Bloom.  When we first meet him, he is underhandedly stealing scrap metal and bikes to sell for his own selfish needs. He is manipulative, untrustworthy and downright creepy, and it is all thanks to Gyllenhaal's magnificent performance as Bloom. Whether it be his greasy hair, gaunt appearance or unnerving smile, there is something visibly 'off' about the aspirational, vet selfish businessman and Gyllenhaal performs brilliantly in this role. Akin to an Asperger's sufferer, Bloom seems to suffer with a lack of a filter when discussing business practices or his emotions and the lack of care in anybody but himself is beautiful to watch portrayed by such a versatile actor.

Whilst admittedly, I would have preferred Nightcrawler to have been a bit darker overall in tone and grit, the film is just a fantastic and haunting experience that will provide you with shocks, twists, chills and the most exhilarating car chase scene in recent years. Gyllenhaal alone is worth the price of admission and hopefully he will get recognised in the coming Academy Awards. Similarly to Leo DiCaprio and Matthew McConaughney, everything he touches seems to turn to gold so I cannot wait to see what he does next.