In almost every aspect from which you can approach this film it is a character study of the most fascinatingly disturbing mind. Lou Bloom is a shameless psychopath of sorts and this is a movie more about him than the elements that surround him. That said, there is still a lot of other stuff going on that is impressive, if not for the fact this is Dan Gilroy's directorial debut, but for how well everything comes together. Nightcrawler knows there isn't much of a narrative here beyond the obvious descent of Bloom falling deeper into the traps of exploiting his crime scenes that make him more concerned with shot composition than saving a life. We know the type of character that Rene Russo's Nina is as we've seen her plenty of times before (which takes nothing away from Russo's performance, trust me), but Gilroy knows this is about his main character and the mood and tone he elicits wisely keeps the focus on that. There is some wonderful cinematography here by Robert Elswit (long-time collaborator of Paul Thomas Anderson) that seizes the atmosphere present in Los Angeles after dark that is reminiscent of something like Collateral. This adds a layer of electricity to the proceedings while the score from James Newton Howard is only present in the right moments as we come out of a shockingly vile act and are in need of some kind of polish. As both writer and director (with his brother John working as editor) Gilroy paces his film expertly, letting it build perfectly so that the deterioration of Bloom resonates throughout. The film culminates in a climax that sensationalizes its lead story to the point of artificiality rather than conveying the humanity and validity we count on our news programs to provide. To this point, we understand the full extent of the themes Gilroy is playing with while still being unable to look away from Jake Gyllenhaal whose directness and delivery is so darkly humorous it is spine tingling.

when crazy is set in crazy and allow to be crazy, you get sane. watch the film and you'll get this THE END.

A chilling, career best performance from Jake Gyllenhaal. His portrayal of the morally repugnant, sociopathic crime journalist, Louis Bloom is one of this years best performances. It's hard to find a single redeemable character in the film. Everyone seems to have questionable agendas and the only character who isn't reprehensible is Bloom's assistant who just needs a job. That's the only character the audience can even attempt to relate to. The path Bloom takes as he immerses himself and the viewer into this seedy world is fascinating and it winds itself to a tense and unsettling climax that has stuck with me well after the film has ended. Bloom's blind ambition becomes both dangerous and fascinating and it reveals a very telling commentary on how the news is presented to the country and how our thirst for blood and violence reaches further beyond actors portraying in on TV or in movies. This was quite a film.

Highly recommended and very creepy as to what real life is

Nightcrawler is a thriller set in the nocturnal underbelly of contemporary Los Angeles. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Lou Bloom, a driven young man desperate for work who discovers the high-speed world of L.A. crime journalism. Finding a group of freelance camera crews who film crashes, fires, murder and other mayhem, Lou muscles into the cut-throat, dangerous realm of nightcrawling - where each police siren wail equals a possible windfall and victims are converted into dollars and cents. Aided by Rene Russo as Nina, a veteran of the blood-sport that is local TV news, Lou blurs the line between observer and participant to become the star of his own story.