FILM REVIEW: 'Nightcrawler'

A nightcrawler is a worm which surfaces from the soil to feed. It's also a fairly accurate description of Jake Gyllenhaal's character in his new film aptly titled, "Nightcrawler."

In this disturbing thriller, Gyllenhaal plays Louis, a psycho geek with a sardonic smile who rarely blinks. A thief by nature, he comes upon a burning car on the highway one night, surrounded by cameramen eagerly shooting gruesome footage. Louis pushes his way closer to the victim and has a conversation with one of the smarmy videographers (Bill Paxton) who joyfully observes, "if it bleeds, it leads" (referring to news coverage). Louis is immediately smitten and wants in on the action.

And it seems he's found his niche after purchasing a video camera and police scanner. Local news director Nina (the excellent Rene Russo) is into sensationalism and like Louis' work. He's a self-admitted quick study. Louis expands by hiring a homeless man (Riz Ahmed) as an assistant and the two easily slide into the sleazy, seedy world of selling sensationalism.

But soon Louis becomes so obsessed with getting the best first shot that he's willing to do anything to capture it. He starts by moving a dying body to get a better angle at a crime scene. Eventually he graduates into withholding evidence from the police. The water in which Louis is treading is getting hot. But his sociopathic psyche serves him well as he advances in this scum-sucking profession.

Writer Dan Gilroy's ("The Bourne Legacy") directorial debut is a stunning work of art. Filming "Nightcrawler" after the sun sets on the neon-lit streets of Los Angeles elevates the ever present nocturnal fear.
Cinematographer extraordinaire, Robert Elswit ("Michael Clayton") captures the terrifying fast action so auspiciously, it's literally heart-stopping. There are moments that require hands over the eyes.

Jake Gyllenhaal ("Brokeback Mountain") delivers the performance of a lifetime. He nails the frighteningly funny Louis to goose bump level. His smug, lurid sneering is scarier than anything that ever came out of Hannibal Lecter's mouth. Louis' adrenaline becomes ours as Gyllenhaal manipulates with exquisite aplomb.

The most bothersome aspect of this infectious film is that we eat this stuff up on a regular basis. There wouldn't be overly zealous video stringers like Louis on the streets if we simply didn't watch. "Nightcrawlers" demonstrates our willingness to feed on the corpses of human tragedy.