Nightcrawler

MPAA Rating: R for violence including graphic images, and for language.
Run Time: 117 minutes
My Rating: 5/5
Hey y'all, so last night my wife and I went and saw Bold Film's Nightcrawler starring Jake Gyllenhaal (Prisoners), Rene Russo (Thor: The Dark World), and Bill Paxton (Twister).  The film centers around the story of Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal), a driven young man desperate for work who finds that crime journalism in L.A. may be his niche.  After discovering a group of freelance cameramen who film crashes, murder, and other such pandemonium Lou jumps right into the profession of Nightcrawling where everybody else's pain and suffering becomes his cash flow.  After being encouraged by TV News director Nina, Lou begins to blur the lines between observer and participant as he begins to star in his own story.
So I have to admit, I loved this movie, but throughout the film I was absolutely appalled by what was presented to me on screen.  Probably the films most important aspect is Jake Gyllenhaal's performance as the antisocial Lou Bloom.  What Jake Gyllenhaal has done is nothing less than outstanding.  I personally believe this is probably his best performance out of any movie he's done and probably the best performance I have seen by an actor all year long.  His work here is stunning.  From the very first moment you see him on the screen you can tell that there is something completely terrifying about Lou Bloom and Jake Gyllenhaal uses that terrifying feeling that that you get to his advantage and plays with it throughout the entire film.  At first Gyllenhaal is barely recognizable with his dramatic weight loss (over 30 pound), which just shows how much dedication he put into the role.
Also one thing that I loved about the movie is its total honesty towards news and media in general.  The entire film is just social commentary on what us as society feel is important and what it takes for us to turn on the TV to a specific channel.  The stuff in the film is gruesome and at times hard to watch.  When Lou Bloom first talks to Nina about becoming a cameraman for the crime in L.A. the way that she describes what she wants should horrify all of us, but for some reason it doesn't.  She states that she wants Lou Bloom to find all the "gruesome" things out there.  The bloodier the better.  If it is a white person in a good neighborhood, she wants it.  If it is a minority, don't bother.  As Lou begins to do this, his desire to capture the next big story only increases.  Then when its time for November Sweeps, a time of the year where network execs evaluate their programs, Lou Bloom and Nina will do and show anything that will get people to watch and give them the ratings that they want..
The sad part of all of it is that we as consumers watch that stuff.  I hear all the time that all the news show these days are negative things about society and that is true, but that is what people want to watch so that is why they show that stuff.  The sad part is that it doesn't just stop at news networks, but it also is prominent in all shows on TV today.  Lets look at what is popular on TV today.  Shows like "Walking Dead," "NCIS", "Criminal Minds", and "The Blacklist" all have to deal with violence and crime.  The more blood, violence, and crime we see the better.  This is what us as society like to watch and the entire film though it shows what the news goes through to put it on the air, really is a social commentary towards us as viewers at how corrupt we are getting as a society and how desensitized we are towards things that should make us squirm.  This to me is one of the most honest films this year and should be praised for that.
Now my only negative comment towards this film isn't really a negative, but more of a warning for people that are thinking about seeing the film.  The film does have some gruesome things.  There is a lot of blood so if that is something that you don't want to see, don't see it.  Also the film is dark and it kind of makes you feel a little uncomfortable and that feeling is there from the very beginning.
Overall though, I loved this film.  This movie is not for everyone and that is ok, but if you think that you can handle its content and have the time to see it, you should.  Through its great acting and its perfect social commentary, this film should get some Oscar buzz throughout the coming months.