Nightcrawler (Cinema Screening)

(Spoilers)

With the amount of new releases that there was this week, I only managed to get round to seeing the highly anticipated Nightcrawler last night. Although going into the screening I viewed it as saving the best for last, was I right? Yeah, believe the reviews this film is great.

Nightcrawler is an original film with a plot that I have never seen before, it is often very suggestive in its action rather than forward which I thought was very clever. However there is action in there too for those who are fans of that genre, its climax is a sequence involving a shootout and a police chase. The supporting cast do well in this film, even if they are small in number. Bill Paxton plays Joe Loder, a rival nightcrawler in a relatively small but effective role. Riz Ahmed plays Rick, a man desperate for a paying job who will do ‘almost anything’, his performance is great and charts probably the most relatable character in the film. Finally Rene Russo plays the veteran TV news star Nina, her role is varied and Russo performs well taking this character on a journey from seeming successful professional to desperate wreck. There isn’t a weak link here however the cast is brought together and led by of course the leading man, Jake Gyllenhaal who plays the mesmerising Louis Bloom.

Gyllenhaal is the star of this film as he plays Bloom with such conviction and clearly gets completely immersed in this role. Physically as well as mentally which is obvious to the eye from the weight loss that he underwent to play this role. It was this performance that made so much of the film a success. The character of Bloom was intense, I found the scenes in which he was just having conversations one on one to be the most unsettling scenes in the entire film, always expecting him to snap. This almost happens on a few occasions but never properly does, this only works in advantage to the picture as you are never quite sure just how far or what Bloom is really capable of. The fact that elements of the story were only discussed and not shown was another powerful method that this film used as it left your imagination to work out just what was happening and it meant you could never really figure out the main character or put him in any box. As a result of Gyllenhaal’s performance the entire film was completely engaging and I entirely lost any concept of time. Saying that there could be arguments that the film just fizzles out at the end, there isn’t a killer twist or a massive ending and whilst Nightcrawler doesn’t necessarily need it I am sure that it would only have enhanced the film.

Louis Bloom easily joins the gang of other anti-heroes from cinema history and he does it in style. Gyllenhaal is responsible for making this character what he is and as he is surrounded by a cast with strong ability their involvement only strengthens the character and the film. This is the film that would be top of my Halloween list to creep you out, this will become a classic and I already can’t wait to revisit it.

BIGGEST FLAW – Lacks a killer ending

BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT – Gyllenhaal/Bloom, it almost seems strange to refer to both the character and the actor though as they merge so seamlessly

Rating – 9/10