Nightcrawler

Posted by Itheliving 9 years, 4 months ago to Movies
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Nightcrawler / Rated R for violent images and language
In Nightcrawler, Jake Gyllenhaal plays an out of work, desperate individual. We know nothing about his past. Nothing. He is a petty thief. He is prone to violence. That’s it.
While trying to survive in Los Angeles and environs he stops at a traffic accident and spots a free lance news photographer played by Bill Paxton filming the event. He discovers BP is making money by selling his videos to local TV stations for news purposes. You can see the light bulb of an idea go off in his head.
Soon he is also a guy on a mission to make the best out of all the bad luck occurring around him every night. He makes a video sale to a local station where Rene Russo plays the night news manager. She encourages him to bring in more and better stuff. Then a plot twist that tends to void what little we know about the character occurs. You see JG’s character is a smart, if obsessive, guy. He studies on the internet all day, has a good memory and has developed a business plan. I had the idea he would not have been unemployed but working in a pretty good job. Maybe this is why we know nothing of his past life.
The film is a little long at almost two hours but the performance by JG is worth viewing. JG lost 20 pounds for the part and assumes a gaunt and desperate appearance. His acting is a bit of a cross between Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man (1998) and Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver (1976). But with more smarts. Soon his character is not only competing with Bill Paxton’s bigger operation he is beating BP to the scene of the accidents and getting more cash.
Since JG is a thief and a little violent he starts doing things which help him get ahead that are both unsavory and a bit criminal. Maybe more than a bit. Rene R. keeps pushing him for more but he finds his own way to deal with her. The scenes of dialogue between RR and JG are terrifically written and scintillating on screen.
The film is shot in Los Angeles and other surrounding areas mostly at night. The violence on screen is graphic and bloody. Be warned. The film has a lot of black humor and irony in its conception and finale. I recommend this film but with the violence and bloody scene warnings that the squeamish should take very seriously. JG is headed for an Oscar nomination. I thought he might get one last year for Prisoners (2013) but apparently no one in the Academy of Arts and Sciences went to the film. Lets hope they make it to the theater this time.
Rated 3.5 out of 4.0 reasons to note there is a big resemblance between the film Nightcrawler and the Darren McGavin TV series and made for TV film
Night Stalker (1972). But without the monsters. Kind of.



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  • Posted by $ allosaur 9 years, 4 months ago
    Loved to watch Night Stalker back in the 70s when I was a rural county reporter/photographer.
    My boss once said that show's TV monsters would be too much for me. Well, economics was too much for his small town paper and it has nothing to do with the annuity retirement I'm enjoying now.
    Oh, that Nightcrawler movie reads like something right up my alley for a Netflix rental.
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