By Will Sevy
Online Arts Editor
While night crawling, the art of filming major crimes or accidents at night and selling them to news stations, seems unethical and disturbing, it makes for an undoubtably fascinating film.
“Nightcrawler,” directed by Dan Gilroy and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, is intense and suspenseful, combining skillful acting with an engrossing plot to create a must-see film that never disappoints.
“Nightcrawler” follows Louis Bloom (Gyllenhaal), a self-made night crawler who disregards all morals and ethics in order to record the most brutal events he can to sell them to news stations.
Bloom expands his enterprise and hires Rick Garcia (Riz Ahmed), a desperate man who helps him navigate and listen to the police scanner. Although he is uneasy about the morality and legality of the profession, he and Bloom set out every night in search of the most gruesome crime scene that they can find. The two protagonists constantly struggle over the morality of their actions, and Bloom’s small obsession soon grows into extreme insanity.
The film’s greatest success is Gyllenhaal’s masterful acting. His exaggerated facial expressions and movements are always purposeful and scarily realistic. His performance is spellbinding, and his deep, sunken eyes add to his character’s transformation into a ghostly figure. As the film progresses, the audience comes to loathe Bloom and his cruelty, and Gyllenhaal does a spectacular job as an unsympathetic and selfish anti-hero.
The film’s cinematography brings a sharp edge to the film, making it wildly realistic and electrifying. Every shot is taken from multiple angles, providing many different points of view in extreme detail. This gives “Nightcrawler” a heightened sense of realism, as every time something surprising occurs, each shot is carefully considered to either demonstrate sense of chaos or suspense, causing “Nightcrawler” to be that much more intense.
The compelling dialogue only makes “Nightcrawler” more captivating. Every conversation is significant to the plot, with no fluff or dull scenes. When Bloom speaks, the dialogue supplies an eerie feeling that illustrates Bloom’s lack of a conscience, such as when he threatens other cameramen and goes off on cynical monologues about life and his values. It also demonstrates his increasingly obsessive nature with his work, shown when Bloom arrives at the scene first and attempts to get the perfect shot, even if it means tampering with the crime scene he is covering.
“Nightcrawler” sums up to be a riveting film with brilliant acting and a unique script that tugs at the audience’s heart, undecided on whether it should root for Bloom’s success or demise.
“Nightcrawler” is rated R and is now playing in theaters nationwide.
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