By Pat Tintle
Sports Assistant Editor
Over the past decade, Jake Gyllenhaal has been vigorously building his case to be named an Academy Award winner, and with his latest film, he may have finally found his winning role.
“Nightcrawler,” the dark, highly anticipated award contender released last Friday, focuses on the struggles of Lou Bloom (Gyllenhaal), a product of the modern economic depression. Gyllenhaal plays a petty thief who scavenges the streets of Los Angeles for scrap metal to sell to local mechanics. After an incident on the freeway where Lou witnesses the little-known world of nightcrawling, a profession in which freelance cameramen film violent crimes and accidents as they occur and later sell the footage to morning news networks, Lou sees a career opportunity.
After making a name for himself at a local station, Lou becomes obsessed with his work, crossing the ever-present line of insanity which lurks throughout the film. He lives to capture that one great shot –even if he has to tamper with the crime scene. His morals may be questionable, but his results are exceptional, to the delight of the networks.
Lou’s characteristics have been seen on the big screen before. He embodies traits similar to Ryan Gosling’s protagonist in 2011’s “Drive” and also brings to mind the creeping sense of urban loneliness and desperation made famous by Robert De Niro’s iconic performance in 1976’s “Taxi Driver.” Lou, although an ambitious person with an admirable work ethic, is a man who sees the world through his limited perspective, eliminating anyone who attempts to endanger his vision of success.
First-time director Dan Gilroy, who previously wrote the screenplays for “Real Steel” and “The Bourne Legacy,” as well as “Nightcrawler,” captures the grimy streets of Los Angeles in both a realistic and surreal fashion. His use of subtle camerawork allows the screen to emphasize key, character-driven moments while maintaining the concentration of the audience—a difficult craft to master.
Gyllenhaal, who shed 20 pounds for the role, gives the best performance of his career in “Nightcrawler.” He dives so deep into the character that the viewer forgets they are watching a Hollywood actor, and instead are watching a mad man at work. For Gyllenhaal, an Oscar nomination is inevitable, while a win is deserved.
In a supporting role, Rene Russo, who has not been in a movie without the word “Thor” in the title in over nine years, gives a seasoned performance as Lou’s news editor, Nina Romina. Instead of letting her character slip into the background behind Gyllenhaal’s charismatic lead role, Russo gives Nina the depth necessary to compliment Lou’s insanity.
In an Oscar season packed with contenders, “Nightcrawler,” with its highly original screenplay and impeccable acting, will surely stand out against the competition. Combining aspects of both narrative-based art and grim character study, Gilroy takes the viewer on an intense saga depicting a man who will stop at nothing to get the lead story on the six o’clock news.
Lou raises a question every journalist must confront. Is it better to stick to journalistic integrity, or to selfishly advance a career through illegal and fraudulent methods? Lou chooses the latter.
For Gyllenhaal’s performance alone, “Nightcrawler” should not be skipped at the theater.
