Nightcrawler (2014)

When Louis Bloom, a driven man desperate for work, muscles into the world of L.A. crime journalism, he blurs the line between observer and participant to become the star of his own story. Aiding him in his effort is Nina, a TV-news veteran.

Director:

Dan Gilroy

Writer:

Dan Gilroy

Stars:

Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Bill Paxton

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 42 wins & 116 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jake Gyllenhaal	...	Louis Bloom
Michael Papajohn	...	Security Guard
Marco Rodríguez	...	Scrapyard Owner (as Marco Rodriguez)
Bill Paxton	...	Joe Loder
James Huang	...	Marcus Mayhem Video
Kent Shocknek	...	Kent Shocknek
Pat Harvey	...	Pat Harvey
Sharon Tay	...	Sharon Tay
Rick Garcia	...	Rick Garcia
Leah Fredkin	...	Female Anchor
Bill Seward	...	Bill Seward
Rick Chambers	...	KWLA Anchor Ben Waterman
Holly Hannula	...	KWLA Anchor Lisa Mays
Jonny Coyne	...	Pawn Shop Owner
Nick Chacon	...	Cop #1

Storyline

NIGHTCRAWLER is a thriller set in the nocturnal underbelly of contemporary Los Angeles. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Lou Bloom, a driven young man desperate for work who discovers the high-speed world of L.A. crime journalism. Finding a group of freelance camera crews who film crashes, fires, murder and other mayhem, Lou muscles into the cut-throat, dangerous realm of nightcrawling - where each police siren wail equals a possible windfall and victims are converted into dollars and cents. Aided by Rene Russo as Nina, a veteran of the blood-sport that is local TV news, Lou blurs the line between observer and participant to become the star of his own story.

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Plot Keywords:

sociopath | ethics | journalism ethics | tv news | journalism | 

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Taglines:

The closer you look the darker it gets.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence including graphic images, and for language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 October 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

Night Call

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$10,441,000 (USA) (31 October 2014)

Gross:

$32,279,955 (USA) (23 January 2015)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bold Films, Sierra / Affinity, Nightcrawler

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The red car Jake Gyllenhaal drives in the second half of the film is a 2014 Dodge Challenger SRT8. He starts off driving a Toyota Tercel.

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Goofs

The camera does a full view around the red car as Lou is chasing the police cars. The V8 exhaust engine sound is heard when the camera is at the front of the car and not the back.

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Quotes

Lou Bloom: Now I like you, Nina. And I look forward to our time together. But you have to understand, fifteen thousand isn't all that I want. From here on, starting now, I want my work to be credited by the anchors and on a burn. The name of my company is Video Production News, a professional news-gathering service. That's how it should be read and that's how it should be said. I also want to go to the next rung and meet your team, and the station manager, and the director, and the anchors, and start ...

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Crazy Credits

Though hardly perceivable, the moon continues to rise as credits roll.

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Connections

Spoofs Peeping Tom (1960)

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Soundtracks

CITY OF ANGELS (FEAT. C PLUS)
Written by Jared MacGill and James Paxton (as James 'Jpax Akrasia' Paxton)
Performed by All in a JaysWork
Courtesy of All in a JaysWork

User Reviews

Stylishly Scary Tour de Force

From Welles to De Niro to Hanks to Bale, Hollywood has a history of actors going through extreme body transformations. While Gyllenhaal's intense weight loss will easily fit this trend, to only focus on that part of his commitment to Nightcrawler would be overlooking how impressively gone he is as Louis Bloom, the focus of this intense character study about an overlooked and disturbed individual. It's not a particularly "pleasant" film, and the pacing is far from quick, but the tension between Louis and his world progresses so beautifully as to pin you right to your seat. Nightcrawler is an effectively scary, uncomfortably funny, and stylishly gritty tour de force. The premise, plot and protagonist are truly unique: a sociopath becomes a freelance news-cameraman, stopping at nothing to succeed. Though his arc seems implausible, Gilroy crafts it smoothly, and Gyllenhaal's disturbed perfection make it hard NOT to believe. His unsettling bug-eyed expression and breathtakingly inappropriate smile are magnetic. Much like Scorsese's Rupert Pupkin, Bloom seems to believe he is the star of his own story: delusional, bull-headed, and respectably determined. Luckily, there is more here than just Gyllenhaal; powerful set-pieces resound, and the beautifully cool ambient guitar score is among the best of the year, complimenting Gyllenahaal's uneasy intensity. Even the camera consistently reminds us where Bloom stands in the deeply LA locale. At the heart, it's smartly calling out our propensity for praising characters for their desires, reminding us that compassionless ambition is extremely dangerous. For our fame-starved culture, Nightcrawler is a good message within a great movie with an even greater lead performance. A true don't-miss!