Nightcrawler 4K 2014

Nightcrawler is clearly the most significant directorial debut of the outgoing year. Dan Gilroy, a strong Hollywood screenwriter, decided to film his best story himself. Perhaps it is after this work that Dan will cease to be perceived simply as the son of a Pulitzer Prize winner. His brother, Tony, is probably even better known to you than the head of the family: he worked on the screenplay for the Jason Bourne trilogy, and his first experience as a director (the legal thriller Michael Clayton) even won an Oscar, albeit for Best Supporting Actress. The ability to get what you want has become something of a family tradition. There is a certain irony in this, but it is precisely the pursuit of success that became the key motif of Nightcrawler, and here this theme is painted in the darkest colors.

“I think television news can be what I love and what I'm good at,” says Jake Gyllenhaal's character. Cynical, cold-blooded, and calculating misanthrope Louis Bloom has found his place in this world. Being a freelance cameraman for the crime news unit is better than stealing fence mesh to sell for scrap metal. His qualities are remarkably suited to a job that many would consider immoral, despite the fact that they themselves regularly consume such darkness from their television screens. Someone shot in a wealthy neighborhood? You have to be the first on the scene to get the best shots of the corpse! And if the body isn't lying conveniently next to a wrecked car, you can drag it into the light before the police arrive. What wouldn't you do for a good shot, right? How far can you go in your desire to create sensational scandalous material? Nightcrawler is not guided by moral principles; they only get in the way. Louis Bloom is ideal in this respect—there are no boundaries for him. He doesn't even need to step outside his comfort zone.

The director refrains from obvious moralizing, allowing the charismatic scoundrel to appear, in direct comparison with ordinary people who are familiar with the feeling of compassion, as a real serial maniac, not without a certain charm. It's a risky move, but it makes the main character, who has completely lost even the memory of what remorse is, all the more vivid. He gets away with everything. Perhaps punishing Louis in the finale without being insincere is an extremely difficult task. Gilroy chose to show the viewer an honest picture of the world, without condescendingly pointing us toward the right conclusions. By the final credits, many will be tempted to admire the persistence and determination of the hero (antihero?) of the drama. However, Louis differs from the hard-working Andrew from Obsession in one very important way: on the path to success, he prefers to sacrifice others rather than himself. Bloom is characterized by a complete lack of emotion. And while his natural composure seems only slightly strange from the outside, and you simply don't pay attention to it, his lifeless, fake smile sends a chill down your spine. It must be acknowledged that this is not only thanks to the magnificent Gyllenhaal, but also to the director. Nightcrawler could be mistakenly considered a one-man show. The image of Bloom will stay with you for a long time, but the power of his impact lies in the main character's personality matching the spirit of the story. In the world of cinema, Nightcrawler is a real reptile!

And the sun is not without spots, let alone a director's debut. There are questions about the supporting roles, especially Bloom's unconvincing partner at work. And the story itself, as it approaches its climax, takes on a slight air of fantasy. You have to put up with these conventions, but fortunately, the action does not turn into a farce. Contemporary American mainstream cinema suffers from an excess of saccharine and worthless tolerant melodramas. If you feel the need to step outside your comfort zone, Nightcrawler may be a good choice. Perhaps such a wake-up call is exactly what you've been missing.