The range of films on Netflix gets as dark as Dark itself and as light as the arguments sustained by Sheldon in The Big Bang Theory and as colorful as the world in Spirited Away. Today, we take a toll on the grayscale of emotions, the cart stops at Nightcrawler. The film might as well be the cocktail of Realism and Practicality that runs down your throat with major backlashes. With a character that might be crafted so skillfully that it may cause changes in your persona. Nightcrawler becomes a treat to watch.
Film : Nightcrawler
Director: Dan Gilroy
Runtime: 1h 57min.
Streaming Platform: Netflix
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Riz Ahmed
Plot
The strangely magnificent plot of the film revolves around Louis Bloom (played by Gyllenhaal). Lou is a thief who is probably an insomniac and a rather professionally behaved one. Lou finds out that he can earn significantly more by recording video footage of the crimes that take place in the night. As there was a high demand of gore and graphic content in the morning news. The strongest part of the story lies in the character of Bloom himself. A hungry for success American citizen who is obsessed about winning. A selfish and obnoxious fellow who does not even flinch at the sight of death.
Direction
This film might just be the career defining film for director Dan Gilroy. With each and every character and scene crafted to near perfection, The director does play his role keenly. Gilroy’s film is character centric but what elevates the film to a whole other level is the mirror it shows to the society. It is the society who originated characters like Lou Bloom as it’s bi product. It is the society who gulps death down with it’s morning breakfast as if it were normal and not something bigoted in ourselves. Lou Bloom’s hunger for success and tendency t stop at nothing displays the quality of character study that Gilroy did and could be marked upon as inspirational.
Cinematography
Robert Elswit proves his mettle yet again as the film’s cinematographer. With sharp and gut wrenching images and a genius play of lights and colors, the cinematography of Nightcrawler is the icing to the cake or the last nail to the coffin in dark terms. Elswit has carries a decorated legacy with films like There Will Be Blood, Magnolia and Inherent Vice placed as medals on his shoulders. Overall, the cinematography of Nightcrawler has highly impacted the effect that the film projects.
Nightcrawler Cast
The character Louis Bloom is undoubtedly Gyllenhaal’s best performance of his career. From his body weight to his demeanor, Gyllenhaal nails it! The mark of being a true performer lies in his deep understanding of the character created by Gilroy. The fact is Gyllenhaal got so lost in a scene inside the character that He smashed a mirror with his hand for real and walked away. Though the cut made it to the film, Gyllenhaal had to be driven down to the emergency room in the director’s car to get stitches. Riz Ahmed too gave a performance that put him on the charts of Hollywood. Overall, the actors have all done a highly commendable job especially Lou, worthy of an Oscar nomination.
Conclusion
In the overall conclusion of the film, Nightcrawler slays it’s way up to the good books of cinema. A mirror to the dogmatic society and a story that seems leakproof. Nightcrawler on Netflix is highly recommended to watch.
Rating – 8/10
