REVIEW: Nightcrawler (2014)

Runtime: 118 Mins
Rated: R
What To Expect: A fine story that may not progress like you’d expect

You gotta be careful with a movie like this, when reading about it and stuff.  The end of it could easily be spoiled, as I noticed when reading a certain movie forum last night.  It isn’t that there’s a major twist or anything like that, but there is story and character progression that need to be protected and really shouldn’t be discussed before actually watching the movie.  So, there’s a warning.  Just watch the movie, and read this spoiler-free review of course.  It’s a good one.

The Tony Pope character from Predator 2 comes to mind here.  A reporter who will stop at nothing to get a scoop, however macabre or bloody, before anyone else.  Copper thief Jake Gyllenhaal witnesses an accident and notices that camera men show up to try and get the first, best footage.  One of them is Bill Paxton, a veteran news bloodhound who thinks nothing of telling Gyllenhaal how it works – after all, Gyllenhaal looks like a nobody with a passing interest.  You show up to a crime or accident scene, get footage, then sell it.  Of course Paxton doesn’t reckon upon Gyllenhaal smelling money.  He then buys a camera and a police scanner (always useful, those things) and starts earning.

As the story progresses Gyllenhaal hires a navigator, ever bigger cameras and faster wheels to get to the scene first.  Crime scenes though are a tricky thing, you can become invasive.  Gyllenhaal gets drunk on his own success and pursues questionable paths, using questionable methods.

This film has a great story, one that isn’t covered often (ever), with great pacing for a two hour flick.  You know a film is well written when two hours fly by.  My only problem is Gyllenhaal, althoguh not a severe criticism.  His performance is slightly annoying – which is intended, but still distracting.  He’s trying very hard to be weird and that’s not a good way of conveying weirdness.  You gotta be subtle about that to make it work, and a bit of humor/tongue in cheek doesn’t hurt either.  If this was a ’90s movie, Steve Buscemi would’ve been perfect.

Still, Nightcrawler is a nice drama, thriller even.  Bill Paxton only has some brief scenes though.