Nightcrawler

Stories and movies about unscrupulous, underhanded TV news are nothing new. But the most exciting thing about Nightcrawler is Jake Gyllenhaal's ballsy, gutsy performance, and the way he has quickly become the most exciting actor of his generation. I have always liked Gyllenhaal, but it seemed like for a while there, he was content to be the cute guy in the mediocre movies. But something happened a few years ago with End of Watch (it was there in bits and pieces before) and Gyllenhaal was suddenly this gritty, surprising, exciting actor.

In Nightcrawler, Gyllenhaal is Lou Bloom, a young guy from Los Angeles with questionable morals who is struggling to find a career path for himself. One night, he happens upon a car accident and the freelance camera crew who films footage of the blood and fire and mayhem and sells it to the highest bidding news station. Lou Bloom is a fast learner and what he lacks in ethics, he more than makes up for with initiative. He thinks this might be something he's good at and so he sets out to become the best at it. I don't want to say much more about the plot, but needless to say, Lou goes a bit over the edge.

One part Anthony Perkins from Psycho, one part Robert DeNiro from Taxi Driver and all creepy grins and unblinking baby blue eyes, Gyllenhaal is intense, icy and darkly funny. His performance is so mind bendingly good that you can't help but become utterly transfixed by his morally ambiguous anti-hero.  Gyllenhaal is an actor who has given a lot of solid leaning toward great performances, but this is so far and away his best. Not only his best, but also this is quite possibly the best performance of the year. This isn't the kind of movie that will likely be recognized by the Oscars, but his performance surely should be.

And Gyllenhaal isn't the only good thing about Nightcrawler.  This is a thrilling, smart, dark, sensational film, the kind of film that burrows under your skin and stays with you for a long, long time. This isn't the sort of movie you will likely forget easily. Supporting turns from Rene Russo (as an aging news director) and Bill Paxton (as a cocky rival) are impressive, and the direction by Dan Gilroy (who also wrote the script) is exciting and edgy and intoxicating. But make no mistake - this is a showcase for Jake Gyllenhaal. The movie would be good without him, but with him, it becomes great.

Grade: A