Nightcrawler(2014)

Too succeed in becoming you have to be ruthless and uncompromising; it doesn't matter even if you’re starting from the bottom, as long as you keep this mantra in your mind, success is sure to follow. This seems to be the working philosophy of the main character of the film, Lou Bloom, a borderline sociopath, who after having been scavenging for debris to make a living for himself, sees an opportunity in the field of accident/crime journalism. This basic premise sets up perfectly for the character to step in and demonstrate his obnoxious demeanor of being a leech: someone who takes advantage of the desperation others find themselves in and use it for their own personal rise.

The film shows the L.A. nightlife in a bleak perspective but an entrancing one: driving through the streets where any occurrence of crime is imminent, where the night is populated with vehicles moving on about their mundane purpose in this world but Lou seems to glide along its streets in his red aston martin with a gleeful expression, smelling the opportunities that potentially exist when one of the night's inhabitants succumb to an accident or get murdered. The movie shows the rise of Lou Bloom, as he infiltrates the local news channel with his charm and focus, but at the same time unnerves the crew with his blatant lack of empathy for the people he shoots with his camera. To him they are not dead people who had met with an unfortunate circumstance, but a canvas in the world where he tries to capture the perfect frame for a picture that will draw the attention of the audiences.

Nightcrawler has a very articulate screenplay, where most of the spoken words are between Lou and someone else in a particular setting in the world he inhabits that is L.A.: in the dimly lit news management room with the main female character, in the meticulously maintained house he inhabits, the speeding red car with his desperate partner whom he treats as an employer of his self-titled Video Production News. Then there are moments where we see Lou's true personality come outside with fleeting moments of sheer rage and when he manipulates his companions to hold the upper hand over them with intimidating expressions. All the three focal performers excel in this, but the film belongs to Jake.

The film essentially is a satire on the sensationalist news media corporation who distorts the news in order to gain views and rating, which is the ultimate bottom-line of every reporting agency. This is sort of like Lumet's "Network", but it doesn't seem to have much to say on that aspect; instead, the film criticizes them by demonizing them as amoral and dubious conveyers of truth, quite directly. This film relies mostly on the central character and the performance more than the themes it wishes to convey; therefore it more or less is a character study of ruthlessness and the limits of acceptable moral conduct.

There are exciting moments throughout the film but none more than the final act, directed without a fault almost, where the tension builds up gradually and culminates in a thrilling chase. There is a montage sequence somewhere in the middle to show the rise Lou that also shows the deftness of the director's technical ability. Nightcrawler is a definite watch for sure, and perhaps among the year's best with a certainly one of the best lead performances. Jake is haunting and creepy and completely disappears in the role. The film is definitely a thrilling ride for any audience wishing to see the extent of Lou's streak of callous exploitation of human suffering; and of course as a crime/tabloid in and of itself.