Nightcrawler Movie Analysis

Nightcrawler is possibly one of the best if not the best movie of our generation. It’s simple, yet complex storyline, along with plot twists, and the fantastic acting really enhances the quality of this production. With his directorial debut in 2014, Dan Gilroy directs the psychological masterpiece Nightcrawler starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo and Bill Paxton.
The Movie opens up with Louis Bloom(Jake Gyllenhaal) an LA occupant that is caught trespassing scrapping for industrial goods. he makes his way over to the guard and proceeds to suffocate him. Already you can see the dark nature of Louis. He makes a living by committing petty theft and other small crimes. He soon crosses paths with local news photographer Joe Loder (Bill Paxton)

He decides that criminal photography is something he could be good at and decides to give it a try. With only a cheap camcorder and a police scanner he begins his nocturnal scavenger hunts for the most violent and newsworthy crime scenes. On his first run he gets a good enough shot that he gets the attention of Nina( Rene Russo) a news director that is desperate for stories to elevate her station's ratings. As soon as his quality increases, so does the demand for more footage. He realizes that to accomplish his tasks, he will need to hire an assistant, but with Lou not having much income finding an assistant would be a difficult challenge. Rick the only responder to lou’s ad, although not the best qualified, joins the team. Together they manage to obtain some gruesomely fantastic footage to please Nina. As Lou becomes more and more successful it becomes evident that he will do anything to get a good crime scene visual. He soon starts blurring the line between observer and contributor to rise in the ranks and become the successful man he's been thirsting for. The plotline is obviously intriguing enough to make Nightcrawler a top contender for best film.
I think it's a great film and a great representation of how brutal criminal journalism can be. It's a psychological thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time. The twist and turns will have you craving for more. The actors really add to the production value. Jake Gyllenhaal as a creepy, cynical protagonist really makes this a standout film, seeing as typically the protagonist tends to be one of the “Good Guys”. Critics say this is one of his best performances yet. Rene Russo as the power crazy Nina also adds to the intensity of the film as she is willing to bend and even ignore the rules of Criminal Journalism to get a higher rating on her news station. All in all, the actors chosen for the roles were very well picked.
The general mood of the film was kept by utilizing a very dark color palette to keep that dark vibe throughout.

Most of the film was filmed at night since that’s when Lou went on his crime scene chases. This allowed to keep the dark effect with minimal lighting tools or incorporating other aspects.During the day time shots there were mostly greys and dull colors there was never bright colors that stood out, besides the blood and the police lights which were used to contrast against the bland colors. The setting for the most part was urban industrial L.A which is a typical setting for crime to happen. As the movie progresses the setting starts changing to upper class homes and buildings it portrays how the main character is taking bigger risks and how his drive for recognition is more important than the stakes. There wasn’t really any CGI going on simply because it wasn’t needed for a live action film, and as far as special effects go there was only bloody crime scenes and random car fires used in the

film.
The movie itself is sort of a dark, twisted satire on the real world of Crime Journalism.

There are hints of humor but they’re drowned out by the sinister ambiance that radiates from Lou. There are also many other themes that add to the films dark moods. One quote said by bill Paxton’s Character “if it bleeds, it leads” became sort of a mantra throughout the whole film. One Prominent theme is moral corruption. Lou is a perfect example of this he thinks of every police siren as a chance to make a profit instead of the tragedy it really is. He withholds information dealing with a homicide and in the end he kills his assistant. It also displays a lack of empathy for the victims. When Lou moves the victim into a different position so he can get a better angle it's immoral and sickening. This also kind of goes along with how being ambitious brings out the worst in a person. It also touches a bit on how weak people can be when it comes to money. We see this when Lou threatens Nina on selling his footage to someone else, unless she has sexual relations with him. The themes used throughout the movie are why not many people hate this movie you want to hate the character because of everything he stand for and symbolizes but at the same time he’s

likeable.
Not many people hate it because it's a fantastic movie. The rating may be R, but it's only because its portrayal of the gruesome reality of criminal journalism, and its use of profanity, but honestly in the types of situations some of the characters were put in it would be rarer for them not to use profanity especially in this day and age. I think that this movie is one of the best movies this generation has. Dan gilroy did an outstanding job for it being his debut film.