Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Nightcrawler (2014)

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Posted by Sam Graham (Member # 2889) on 11-02-2014, 11:32 PM:

CINEMA: Cinemarkury 20 at Jordan Creek, West Des Moines, IA
AUDITORIUM: 11
PRESENTATION: Cinemark XD Xtremly Douchey Cinema Megapants
PRESENTATION PROBLEMS: My hand smells like dog. When did I pet a dog?
RATING: Three stars (out of four)

As I hand over the $12.50 to Ticket Selling Guy Dressed as a Manager, I say "I'm sorry, but I must give you exact change."

Him, dead serious: "Oh! No problem."

THE PLOT: A guy becomes one of those ambulance chasers. Wackiness ensues.

If you thought Super Creepy Rob Lowe was the creepiest guy you'd see this year, wait until you see this. This guy's just...wow.

But it's good, probably the best movie this year that I never ever want to see again.

Posted by Steve Matz (Member # 1890) on 11-11-2014, 04:40 PM:

Well I spent a far cry from $12.50 to watch this Film last Saturday. Only $5.75 at Carmike Theaters if you go between 4:00 to 5:30pm on weekends.

Interesting that as he is making more money from the TV Station for his Video Footage;We see him in a new Dodge Challenger SRT with more sophisticated GPS Tracking Gear and more expensive Video Gear;but he stays in his plain jane Dwelling.

I must not have been aware that almost 2 hours had passed and just when I think there is going to be some excitement with his new crew taking orders,The Movie is into the Credits.Look for a NIGHTCRAWLER 2 coming next...

Posted by Marcel Birgelen (Member # 6801) on 11-20-2014, 04:16 PM:

I doubt there will ever be a Nightcrawler 2, at least not as a direct continuation of this story.

The movie is strong, the performance of Jake Gyllenhaal is amazing.

I think the biggest achievement of this movie is that you actually start to care for a character which is one disturbing human being.

Posted by Buck Wilson (Member # 5885) on 12-02-2014, 08:15 PM:

^^^Exactly. What a thought-provoking, fucked up movie.

Certainly not what I was expecting.

Posted by Stu Jamieson (Member # 4626) on 12-06-2014, 08:04 PM:

Human suffering makes good entertainment.
If you can package it all up neatly.

25 years ago the Hoodoo Gurus released Death in the Afternoon, a song about the ever increasing prevalence of violence in the mass media. Of course, even then it was by no means a new concept. Indeed the song references the ancient Romans as "taking out all the guesswork" in the formula.

With the advent of motion pictures it was inevitable that violence would become a fundamental element of the medium; unsurprising, of course, given violence is a primal staple of human drama. Fewer, though, are the films about media violence; consider Cronenberg's seminal Videodrome and Kathryn Bigelow's Strange Days and now Nightcrawler from first time director (and writer of Freejack, Real Steel and The Bourne Legacy), Tony Gilroy. Gilroy also wrote Nightcrawler and it would be reasonable to suggest this is the best film he's written thus far.

The film follows Louis Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal), a sociopathic ambulance chaser determined to make his mark on the world. He doesn't seem to care how he makes this mark but when he stumbles upon his talent for capturing the aftermath of violent events on his video camera, his path is set. Teaming up with the serpentine TV Director, Nina Romina (Rene Russo), the limits of TV decency are stretched towards breaking point as Bloom satiates his boundless ambition to the personal expense of those around him.

Gyllenhaal brilliantly imbues his creepy psychopath with an insectoid energy. Like a train wreck, his performance is painful to watch but you can't take your eyes off it. Other supposed authoritative characters in the film attempt to manipulate him prior to realising that it is they who are being manipulated, eventually falling foul to his stratagems.

Russo is also in fine form as the hard line TV director who thinks she's harder than Bloom. Bill Paxton also features in a placeholder role.

The film admirably pulls no punches in it's delivery of it's thesis. Sidestepping the normal Hollywood tropes along the way, it maintains it's nihilistic tone through to it's uncompromising yet satisfying final moments.

Sure it's a freakshow but, honey, ain't that showbiz?

9.5 out of 10