I think Jake Gyllenhaal is one of the most under appreciated actors today. He seems to be stuck somewhere in the middle of the fame and starpower list until a movie he leads shows up and blows people away. Then he kind of slides back into the deck only to repeat it again. Nightcrawler puts him front and center again with another unforgettable and brilliant character performance.

Louis Bloom (Gyllenhall) is a man desperate for a job in Los Angeles. Struggling to make ends meet, he’s not afraid to hustle, steal and negotiate to get what he needs. He stumbles across the world of crime journalism one night and throws himself into the field, studying and learning as fast as he can to stake his claim in this dirty and lucrative line of work. He finds something that he not only loves to do, but he’s really good at it. With such fierce competition and deadlines, Louis becomes more bold with each passing night. It gets to the point where he starts manipulating crime scenes to give himself an advantage.

Gyllenhall is absolutely amazing as Louis Bloom. He just disappears into this sociopath. His mannerisms, his intensity, his weird and striking cadence. Bloom can talk his ass off. He can spin an interview like a master, but if the person knows off the bat that he’s too shady to trust (the scrapyard owner who turns him down because he knows Bloom is a thief), he never succeeds. He has to keep people at a distance. Despite being a loner, he knows how to manipulate people. Watching him work and spin conversations is some mesmerizing stuff. Writer/Director Dan Gilroy must have been over the moon to land Gyllenhall. He delivers his dialog with absolute perfection.

Riz Ahmed as Bloom’s first employee, Rick, also needs to be mentioned. He’s around Bloom the most out of anyone and pulls it off well, which is not easy. Bloom is such an intense character and Rick is really the opposite which creates a  bizarre working dynamic. Their story arc (and interaction) is a major highlight of the movie for me.

Loved the look and feel of this grimy story from start to finish. Great direction, well framed with smart camera movement. Wasn’t expecting any action, but the final crime we watch Bloom and Rick cover is simply brilliant. Topical, perfectly paced, many great characters with the right actors to pull them off. Go watch Nightcrawler.