Jake Gyllenhaal unnerves in his most transformative role
We’ve all been guilty of craning our necks to take a look when driving by an accident, or clicking on a video on social media that shows a high speed chase, traffic accident, or other incident where life may be endangered. There’s a part of human nature that compels us to look into the dark, the compulsion of misery. Much of our airwaves and social channels are packed with it, a 24/7 modern day “bread and circuses” effort to hold our gaze, boost ratings, and in some cases detract us from real issues that impact our everyday lives. Nightcrawler takes us to the seedy underbelly of LA and a videographer profiteering off TV viewers insatiable appetite for tragedy.
Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a bottom-feeder. A scavenger grifting and thieving his way to make some cash. While stealing some scrap metal, he catches sight of a film crew recording the aftermath of a car accident. It turns out, you can earn a healthy payday by selling such footage to a local news network. Sniffing the scent of an opportunity, he soon kits himself out with a camera and through persistence, happenstance, and stalking of police channels, starts to make his mark. His success lends to the hiring of an assistant Rick (Riz Ahmed), and the forging of a bond with local station manager Nina (Rene Russo). But, the demand for footage never gives up, and Lou’s already questionable ethics plunge into darker territory as he goes to extremes to guarantee his payday and slot in primetime.
Nightcrawler is voyeuristic cinema, showing the darker side of both a city and its people. Notably those involved in the media, here with a mantra that embodies all that is problematic with both the industry and audience desires, “If it bleeds, it leads“. Beyond the wanton tragedies, there is a social element mined too. A member of a minority being killed is not “news”, but a rich white person, well that sparks fear, interest and ratings. Starkly spoken realities and the darkness of the human psyche explored in a taut thriller that is as compelling as it is corrosive.
For a directorial debut, Dan Gilroy delivers a notably muscular piece of filmmaking, one with electric pacing. The film has a polished feel, an $8million budget stretched by kinetic camerawork, and emotive lighting from cinematographer Robert Elswit. The film looks and feels like something from the Michael Mann back catalog. James Newton Howard’s score permeates the entire affair, blending a mix of traditional and electric, and synth instruments to drive home emotional beats and the various machinations of Lou’s scheming.
The intensity of the drama plays out well and is balanced with some great humorous moments and a great supporting cast in Rene Russo and Bill Paxton. Riz Ahmed is well-attuned as his intern, an audience surrogate who initially shows disbelief at the events but gradually falls under the seduction of career advancement and money. But what drives the film home is the central performance from Jake Gyllenhaal. A standout in Brokeback Mountain, Zodiac, Prisoners, Jarhead, and Enemy, Nightcrawler is frankly his best work. An utterly transformative and chilling performance as a scavenger come sociopath, a man without morals and a manifestation of unbridled capitalism. This is a cinematic creation on a par with Travis Bickle as Gyllenhaal (showcasing a haunted gauntness), channels a reptilian physicality into the role.
The film charts this network TV cycle of misery mining but it’s not difficult to transpose the ideas and themes explored to present day, when the 24/7 news cycle is further amplified by social media and cell phones turning every person into a potential reporter on a catastrophe. As a society we’ve tilted into doomscrolling, a digital divide uncoupling us fro the human element of what we witness. Nightcrawler then and now serves as a cautionary tale by showcasing the monster that emerges when we become numb to the tragedies that occur around us.
The Package
The majority of the film was shot at night, and this 4K transfer holds up well to showcasing the depth of the darker images. Black levels are really solid, contrast and color is robust with good range, and detail, even in the darkest scenes, stands out. The shifts between scenes, the sudden bursts of light, are all handled smoothly, and there are no noticeable instances of any compression or artifacts. Extra features impress, notably with two audio commentaries and a featurette on the score:
- Audio Commentary With Film Historian Joe von Appen: A very enthusiastic commentary with the commentator clearly a fan of the film. There’s good perspective on the thriller/noir genre, and also the backdrop of LA int he film
- Audio Commentary With Writer/Director Dan Gilroy, Producer Tony Gilroy, and Editor John Gilroy: The trio of Gilroy’s combine for a rather packed, free-flowing discussion of the film. They unsurprisingly have a great rapport, and dig into plenty of details on the film, ranging from pre-shoot prep, to on-set issues, to cutting and releasing the film
- “Making the News: Scoring Nightcrawler” – Interview With Composer James Newton Howard: A great piece that highlights one of the components of the film that really fuels the tone and timbre of the film
- “If It Bleeds, It Leads” – Making Nightcrawler: A short featurette that doesn’t come close to the level of detail packed into the other extra on the disc
- Trailer:
The Bottom Line
Nightcrawler was a barnstorming directorial debut from Dan Gilroy, one that delivers a chillingly compelling descent into the seedier side of multimedia, and the human psyche. The latter bolstered by a truly unnerving tour de force performance from Jake Gyllenhaal. The 4K presentation showcases this neo-noir in the best possible way, with a range of extras that deepen appreciation for this kinetic work.
Nightcrawler is available on 4K-UHD Steelbook from Shout! Studios now
