Any Joe Blow with a low grade video camera can become a tabloid news journalist. But it also helps to be a sociopath. Enter Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) a gaunt, manic and frighteningly driven young man looking for work. At the beginning of "Nightcrawler", Bloom is making his living stealing industrial materials and selling them cheap. But business isn't exactly booming. He chances upon a car wreck and walks over to it out of perverse fascination. What he discovers is that there is a small network of "nightcrawlers" in Los Angeles; videographers who seek out crime scenes where fresh blood is still in the air, waiting to be documented. There is a demand for that twisted footage on tabloid TV networks, which is where Nina (Rene Russo) a local news director first discovers the odd Mr. Bloom. "Nightcrawler" is a dark, thrilling character study, and Phil and Andrew both agree Gyllenhaal turns in a dynamic performance. The script is intelligent and the first-time director does an admirable job portraying the City of Angels as a hellhole full of devils. Check out this intriguing episode.
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