Jake Gyllenhaal is known for tackling strange movies and playing characters with a darker side to them. Nightcrawler finds him at it again. He plays Lou, a part-time thief who one night witnesses a car accident and sees a freelance videographer taping the whole thing to later sell to a news station. Seeing a way to make some real money, he jumps right into it. We spend the rest of the film watching him hunt down accidents, car-jackings, and murders, to greater and greater excess.
Lou has issues, which are evident from the start. He has a real sense of detachment from the reality of the world around him, and though the movie never states so, it is implied he is on the Asperger’s spectrum from the way he interacts with others and the way he ingests the sometimes brutal things he sees. He is obviously very intelligent and very driven, and throws himself into his new career. As the movie progresses, we see the ends to which is willing to go, and he never shows regret or remorse.
Gyllenhaal is most certainly going to get an Oscar nomination, as he is absolutely incredible throughout the movie. He plays the energetic yet socially-detached Lou extremely convincingly, a stark contrast to some his subdued roles such as him film Enemy that was released earlier this year. The movie itself is well written and well directed by Dan Gilroy (first time director, long time screenwriter).
Jons Movie Takes 