Nightcrawler

 Jake Gyllenhaal is one of the finest actors of our generation. After his debut work on “City Slickers,” he has since then worked on other acclaimed projects such as “Donnie Darko,” “October Sky,” “Brokeback Mountain,” “Zodiac,” and “Prisoners.” He knows how to give his all, and films like these have proven that greatly. Now we take a look at a film that might be his next chance at an Oscar nod, “Nightcrawler.”

The film is about an unemployed perfectionist, Louis Bloom, desperate for work and money. After passing a crime scene and seeing a camera crew record the event for their news station, he decides to film local crime scenes independently. He's able to get some good detail both on and off screen, but soon becomes overly obsessed with the job to disturbing lengths.

Right off the bat, this is Gyllenhaal's best performance without a doubt. Hell, it's not even Gyllenhaal in this film, all I saw was Louis Bloom. As the film goes on, we learn this guy is not a society man, and seeing those buggy eyes during some scenes make you wonder what's going on in that head of his. We want to root for this guy, but at the same time you feel like we shouldn't because he's doing things that no one would EVER do. Not only that, but the scenes where he fails and loses his shit, sent chills down my spine, like he was about to murder a person. I'm guaranteeing Gyllenhaal will get an Oscar nod for this film, because he deserves it after he and Hugh Jackman got snubbed for “Prisoners.”

Rene Russo plays the head of the news station that Louis goes to, and she does a great job too. She has that presence that she's someone in power, and the scenes that she has with Gyllenhaal are fantastic. I love seeing these two work off each other, and how she's trying to let him down easy, but he's just got her wrapped around his finger with a quick response on how to turn things around. Riz Ahmed plays Rick, Bloom's intern, and the scenes with him are also investing. As time goes on, we see this character go from being someone trying to get used to the job, to a guy who is learning fast and adapting to Bloom's style of thinking. I love characters who can use another's techniques against them, making conflicts really investing.

The film was directed and written by Rene Russo's husband, Dan Gilroy, who is best known for screenplays for “Real Steel,” “Chasers,” “Freejack,” and “The Bourne Legacy.” For his directing debut, it's an impressive feat. If I didn't know who was directing this film, I honestly would have sworn it was a David Fincher or early Christopher Nolan film. I have a feeling he'll be up there for Best Screenplay and Best Director, because this was an amazing film to look at. The shots of L.A. are glorious to watch, and the crime scenes filmed are pretty brutal...but in a good way.

Overall, “Nightcrawler” is one I highly recommend. Dark, slick, thrilling, and all around exciting, it's one of the best of the year.

Rating: 10/10