"Nightcrawler" is an Underrated Masterpiece
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| Nightcrawler (2014) |
I've always held true to the belief that Jake Gyllenhaal is one of the best actors of our generation, and after witnessing his performance in Nightcrawler I knew that I was right to think so. The heartthrob thinned back his hair, bugged out his eyes, and took on some unsettling yet subtle twitchy mannerisms in his portrayal of Louis Bloom, a freelance cameraman who speeds through Los Angeles in search of grisly footage to capture and sell to news stations for a price. This film is perhaps the most realistic portrayal of a sociopath I have ever seen, and it is absolutely phenomenal in its pacing, tone, bizarrely upbeat soundtrack, and the performances delivered by every actor in its cast.
Sociopaths in films, particularly in darker genres such as this, have the tendency to be depicted as serial killers or outright monsters. Nightcrawler opts for something more realistic, instead deciding to show the sort of sociopaths who you might live right next door to; quiet manipulative people, who keep to themselves and refuse to interact with others if there's nothing in it for them. He's not an outright monster, but he's certainly not the sort of person you would want in your life, and the subtle twitches, fidgets, and mannerisms which Jake Gyllenhaal brings to this character only makes him all the more realistic.
Nightcrawler was the best film of 2014, and it's a shame that so few people have watched it. While it offers little in terms of action it never has a dull moment, mostly due to the sometimes funny behavior of Louis Bloom, who at times almost seems as though he might be at home on the television series The Office with all his bizarre eccentricities. The film's pacing is fantastic, it's slow and meticulous in its depiction of the unfolding drama, but refrains from lapsing too far into being mundane. During sequences which are intended to show the slow nature of Bloom's life it still manages to keep things interesting with strange camera angles, low sweeping shots, and beautiful imagery of the Los Angeles skyline.
Though I hate to sound like I'm pandering too much to this film, my one complaint about Nightcrawler is its runtime, which I feel should have been longer (despite already being nearly a full two hours). I would have loved more footage of its protagonist fumbling through his efforts to behave like a normal person while simultaneously not caring if people around him like him, because he doesn't really care for anyone in the first place. I want to see more of what Louis Bloom is like in his daily life, and get more glimpses of just how cruel and callous he is deep down.
That being said, Nightcrawler is an absolutely phenomenal movie, and if you haven't already seen it I urge you to seek it out and do so immediately - you won't regret it.
Sociopaths in films, particularly in darker genres such as this, have the tendency to be depicted as serial killers or outright monsters. Nightcrawler opts for something more realistic, instead deciding to show the sort of sociopaths who you might live right next door to; quiet manipulative people, who keep to themselves and refuse to interact with others if there's nothing in it for them. He's not an outright monster, but he's certainly not the sort of person you would want in your life, and the subtle twitches, fidgets, and mannerisms which Jake Gyllenhaal brings to this character only makes him all the more realistic.
Nightcrawler was the best film of 2014, and it's a shame that so few people have watched it. While it offers little in terms of action it never has a dull moment, mostly due to the sometimes funny behavior of Louis Bloom, who at times almost seems as though he might be at home on the television series The Office with all his bizarre eccentricities. The film's pacing is fantastic, it's slow and meticulous in its depiction of the unfolding drama, but refrains from lapsing too far into being mundane. During sequences which are intended to show the slow nature of Bloom's life it still manages to keep things interesting with strange camera angles, low sweeping shots, and beautiful imagery of the Los Angeles skyline.
Though I hate to sound like I'm pandering too much to this film, my one complaint about Nightcrawler is its runtime, which I feel should have been longer (despite already being nearly a full two hours). I would have loved more footage of its protagonist fumbling through his efforts to behave like a normal person while simultaneously not caring if people around him like him, because he doesn't really care for anyone in the first place. I want to see more of what Louis Bloom is like in his daily life, and get more glimpses of just how cruel and callous he is deep down.
That being said, Nightcrawler is an absolutely phenomenal movie, and if you haven't already seen it I urge you to seek it out and do so immediately - you won't regret it.
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