Three-Word Summary: Creepy crime videographer

Rating: 4/5

Louis Bloom (Jake Gyllenhall) is a lonesome, creepy, mysterious guy.

He spends his time creeping around Los Angeles by night, videotaping crimes and car crashes in order to sell the raw footage to news stations.

Lou starts out small, with an ancient camcorder he scammed from a pawn shop. But he gradually moves up to a two-camera operation with his intern Rick.

As he descends deeper into the world of ‘nightcrawling’, the line between observer and participant becomes blurred. Louis is slowly able to manipulate people and situations to generate better and more lucrative video footage.

In this way, the film is simple and straightforward. Its plot primarily revolves around Louis Bloom, who, despite being the protagonist, we know relatively little about. His life, background and motives remain largely a mystery.

The character, played masterfully by Gyllenhaal, is essentially a sociopath who only cares for his own interests and is wholly unlikable. He is as fascinated by the underground world of crime and mayhem as we are by his own psyche.

Nightcrawler borders somewhere between a crime and psychological thriller. There are a few car chases and gun fights mixed in with Bloom’s slowly unraveling mentality.

Although slightly unsettling, the movie is outstanding in both acting and cinematography. It’s a dark film in both a literal and metaphorical sense.