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Director: Dan Gilroy
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Renee Russo, Bill Paxton
I wanted to get my thoughts on Nightcrawler down before I read a bunch of reviews and my mind starts to become cluttered. The reason for that is because I can see people after watching this movie writing a slew of critiques on how Nightcrawler is a media satire. How as a society we have become so blood thirsty that we have caused our media outlets to go to unthinkable extremes to get us the coverage of the depraved that we crave. I don't think there is anything wrong with reading the film this way, in fact it may even be the film maker's intention. However I do feel like this is a very simple conclusion to draw and I don't want that to be what I take away from this movie personally. My take away from this film is actually much simpler than this reading, and maybe even juvenile. It is something that I crave in my movie watching though, and something I never feel I get enough of anymore. Nightcrawler for me is simply well made, and a heck of a lot of fun to watch. That is what I “got” from the movie, and all that I desire from it. I already have an unhealthy disdain for the media. I already think that as a culture we care way too much about the disgusting things that we do to each other. I didn't need Nightcrawler to reinforce those prejudices in me, and it didn't.
Calling this movie a lot of fun to watch may come across as some to be rather crass. This movie is beyond dark. The protagonist (Gyllenhaal) is the pure definition of an anti-hero. Our first encounter with him is as he is committing a crime and at no point are we asked to root for him. Gyllenhaal is perfect in this role which is probably my favorite performance of his to date. The character is tragically flawed. Certainly a sociopath but I read him as being autistic as well. This is never explicitly stated but he has an uncanny knack for processing information very quickly. He also argues with only cold hard facts, as he sees them. He never lets emotion enter into the picture during confrontations with others. Gyllenhaal is doing everything with his eyes and mannerisms. He is in nearly every single frame of this film so to say he carries the film is an understatement. He is what made Nightcrawler fun for me to watch. I laughed out loud many times at his interactions with others. I cringed at the moments he was devolving, which was frequently. Most of all he kept me transfixed on the screen for the entire duration of the movie. So despite the fact that the subject matter is extremely dark, Nightcrawler remains entertaining by having a central character that is enthralling to watch. It is also really well written. The dialogue is sharp. It makes you laugh when appropriate, and sometimes when laughing makes you uncomfortable to do so. It stirs up strong disdain for certain characters when it needs to. It immerses us in the world of the characters. This is Nightcrawler's other major positive aspect. It sets the world perfectly. L.A. feels dark and dangerous throughout, extremely seedy. The film looks like a great crime drama. If I didn't already know better I would not have been shocked to see Michael Mann's name pop up as the end credits rolled. Again maybe it sounds strange to call this type of atmosphere entertaining. That is exactly what it was though, the film is extremely cinematic.
Nightcrawler did have a major flaw for me and unfortunately it came in the form of Russo's news executive. While Gilroy does give this character clear motivations, it never felt realistic that she would go as far as she does at several points in the film. I won't say much more to avoid spoilers. I will say this character is the only thing that took me out of the movie at times. I do not have a clear picture of what I would have done differently. The character is important to the story moving forward. I do wish they could have found another way as I really did not enjoy her at any point.
Nightcrawler is a highly entertaining thriller. One that I will be recommending to others and will be quick to revisit. Now I am off to see what others are saying about it.
Director: Dan Gilroy
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Renee Russo, Bill Paxton
I wanted to get my thoughts on Nightcrawler down before I read a bunch of reviews and my mind starts to become cluttered. The reason for that is because I can see people after watching this movie writing a slew of critiques on how Nightcrawler is a media satire. How as a society we have become so blood thirsty that we have caused our media outlets to go to unthinkable extremes to get us the coverage of the depraved that we crave. I don't think there is anything wrong with reading the film this way, in fact it may even be the film maker's intention. However I do feel like this is a very simple conclusion to draw and I don't want that to be what I take away from this movie personally. My take away from this film is actually much simpler than this reading, and maybe even juvenile. It is something that I crave in my movie watching though, and something I never feel I get enough of anymore. Nightcrawler for me is simply well made, and a heck of a lot of fun to watch. That is what I “got” from the movie, and all that I desire from it. I already have an unhealthy disdain for the media. I already think that as a culture we care way too much about the disgusting things that we do to each other. I didn't need Nightcrawler to reinforce those prejudices in me, and it didn't.
Calling this movie a lot of fun to watch may come across as some to be rather crass. This movie is beyond dark. The protagonist (Gyllenhaal) is the pure definition of an anti-hero. Our first encounter with him is as he is committing a crime and at no point are we asked to root for him. Gyllenhaal is perfect in this role which is probably my favorite performance of his to date. The character is tragically flawed. Certainly a sociopath but I read him as being autistic as well. This is never explicitly stated but he has an uncanny knack for processing information very quickly. He also argues with only cold hard facts, as he sees them. He never lets emotion enter into the picture during confrontations with others. Gyllenhaal is doing everything with his eyes and mannerisms. He is in nearly every single frame of this film so to say he carries the film is an understatement. He is what made Nightcrawler fun for me to watch. I laughed out loud many times at his interactions with others. I cringed at the moments he was devolving, which was frequently. Most of all he kept me transfixed on the screen for the entire duration of the movie. So despite the fact that the subject matter is extremely dark, Nightcrawler remains entertaining by having a central character that is enthralling to watch. It is also really well written. The dialogue is sharp. It makes you laugh when appropriate, and sometimes when laughing makes you uncomfortable to do so. It stirs up strong disdain for certain characters when it needs to. It immerses us in the world of the characters. This is Nightcrawler's other major positive aspect. It sets the world perfectly. L.A. feels dark and dangerous throughout, extremely seedy. The film looks like a great crime drama. If I didn't already know better I would not have been shocked to see Michael Mann's name pop up as the end credits rolled. Again maybe it sounds strange to call this type of atmosphere entertaining. That is exactly what it was though, the film is extremely cinematic.
Nightcrawler did have a major flaw for me and unfortunately it came in the form of Russo's news executive. While Gilroy does give this character clear motivations, it never felt realistic that she would go as far as she does at several points in the film. I won't say much more to avoid spoilers. I will say this character is the only thing that took me out of the movie at times. I do not have a clear picture of what I would have done differently. The character is important to the story moving forward. I do wish they could have found another way as I really did not enjoy her at any point.
Nightcrawler is a highly entertaining thriller. One that I will be recommending to others and will be quick to revisit. Now I am off to see what others are saying about it.