“Nightcrawler”

Movie Review

Jake Gyllenhaal plays Louis "Lou" Bloom in the 2014 American neo-noir satirical crime thriller "Nightcrawler," which was written and directed by Dan Gilroy. Louis "Lou" Bloom is a stringer in Los Angeles who records violent events late at night and sells the footage to a local television news station. Together with Bill Paxton and Riz Ahmed, Rene Russo plays Gilroy's wife in the movie. The film frequently discusses the mutually beneficial relationship between unethical journalism and public demand.

Gilroy originally intended to make a movie about the life of American photographer Weegee, but he changed his mind after learning about the intriguing storylines that the stringer industry offers. Based on the concepts of unemployment and capitalism, he created Lou as an antihero.

Theft from a Los Angeles construction site is discovered by security guard Louis "Lou" Bloom. He assaults the security guy, takes his watch, and flees with the loot. Lou seeks for a job at a scrap yard after selling the material there, but the foreman refuses to hire crooks. On his way home, Lou comes to a halt when he witnesses an automobile accident. Stringers show two police officers removing a woman from the burning wreck as they approach. Lou is informed by one of the stringers, Joe Loder, that they sell their footage to regional news organizations.

Lou pawns a stolen bicycle for a camera and a police radio scanner in an inspiring move. Lou captures the aftermath of a tragic carjacking after making two unsuccessful efforts to record incidents, and he sells the tape to KWLA 6. He learns from Nina Romina, the morning news director, that the channel is particularly interested in footage of "graphic" accidents and violent crime in wealthy, White neighborhoods. Younger homeless man Rick, who is in need of money, is hired by Lou as his helper. Lou tampers with crime scenes to give his footage more impact, once repositioning a body to get a better camera perspective. Lou purchases more advanced tools and a quicker vehicle as his work gathers traction.

Lou coerces Nina into going on a date by claiming to be aware of her desperation for higher ratings. He demands sex from Nina on their date, and it is inferred that she agrees because he threatens to end his business relationship with her otherwise. As Joe scoops Lou on a significant plane accident story, Nina demands that Lou get better footage and uphold his part of the bargain after Lou declines an offer to work for Joe. Lou destroys Joe's van as vengeance; when it crashes, Joe suffers serious injuries, and Lou captures the scene.

Later, Lou and Rick arrive at the scene of a triple-homicide home invasion in Granada Hills ahead of the police. Lou captures video of the shooters fleeing in their SUV and the victims inside the home, then edits the video and delivers it to the station without the shooters. Although Nina is eager to break the story, the news staff is concerned about the morality of the clip. Lou demands more money and favor with the public in exchange. Frontieri, a police detective, arrives at Lou's flat to question him over his involvement in the break-in. He provides her an altered version of the incident's video, leaving out the violent scenes.

That evening, Lou and Rick find the driver and follow him to his home, keeping watch there until he departs to pick up his accomplice. Lou plans to pursue them to a busier public space, where she will contact the police, record the altercation, and then leave. Lou agrees when Rick, who is alarmed, demands half of the profit Lou stands to gain and threatens to inform the authorities about Lou's concealment of evidence.

Lou calls the police and informs them that the suspects are armed when the gunman stop at a restaurant. As they approach, they start firing guns. One of the assailants is shot dead along with a police officer, but the other escapes in the Vehicle. Lou and Rick follow the police while they tail them and capture the chase, which ends in a lengthy collision involving many vehicles. Lou approaches the SUV after the shooter's SUV crashes, saying the shooter is dead, and begs Rick to record him. As he kills Rick, runs away, and is eventually shot and killed by responding police, the gunman is seen to still be alive. Lou films Rick as he makes up a death story and admonishes him not to cooperate with someone who successfully blackmailed him for concealing evidence because he knows it will happen again.

The pursuit film amazes Nina, who declares her love for Lou. Nina refuses to broadcast this information in order to increase the impact of the story when the TV crew learns that the burglars were actually breaking into the house to steal cocaine that the homeowners were hiding. Authorities attempt to seize Lou's video as evidence, but Nina fights her right to keep it and broadcasts it straight away. Lou agrees to talk to Detective Frontieri. Frontieri is questioning Lou when Lou makes up a tale about the men in the SUV following him; Frontieri is aware of the lie, but unable to prove it. Later, Lou recruits a group of interns to help him grow his company, promising not to ask them to do anything he wouldn't do first.

The movie received a lot of positive reviews, with critics praising Gyllenhaal and Russo's acting as well as Gilroy's screenplay. Nightcrawler was hailed by many critics as one of the best movies of 2014, and it was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the 87th Academy Awards among other honors. Through time, the movie has developed into a modern cult favorite.

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