Customer Ratings & Reviews

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 very uncomfortable flick. Gyllenhall's lead is not likable; in fact, few characters are in this ode to greed & the night. The movie very successfully evokes the wave of 80s neo-noir and rarely strays from topic in its portrayal of an unrelenting sociopath. There is a minor subplot involving a relationship with Rene Russo's character that is grossly underdeveloped and became distracting at a point, but the film is very much worth a watch. As much as I like dark character pieces about psychotic murderers, it is refreshing to watch something that lies a bit closer to possible reality when it comes to nut jobs!

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.

I enjoyed this movie, however it was very interesting watching a movie where the lead character was such a bad guy. Doing bad things to further himself and his career. The part that I liked about it is that I am sure there are more people out there like him than we want to believe... Stepping on people to get what they want, tampering with a crime scene to get a better shot that can be sold to the highest paying news program. This is a gritty, thriller, which will take you on a ride of almost thinking the main character has a heart, only to be shown he was doing it all for his own glory. Follow his lead, or get out of his way... Enjoy this ride.

Nightcrawler is a slick and stylistic examination of the "if it bleeds, it leads" mentality of TV news, as well as an indictment of modern business culture...but it's ultimately one heck of an entertaining movie. Lou Bloom, a creepy young loner, discovers that "nightcrawlers," freelance cameramen, prowl LA to film car accidents and shootings and sell the grisly footage to the highest bidder. Lou is a natural, but his success comes at the cost of common decency. Jake Gyllenhaal gives the best performance of his career as Lou, and supporting turns by Rene Russo, Riz Ahmed, and Bill Paxton are all excellent. The Blu-Ray looks and sounds great. The extras are sparse, but there is a great commentary track by first-time director Dan Gilroy (who also wrote), and his brothers, Tony and John.

Jake Gyllenhaal gives the performance of the year and it's a shame he wasn't nominated for an Oscar. He transforms into an ambitious, sociopathic coyote that hunts the LA after hours for the most shocking crimes, crashes and crisis to capture on film and sell to local news editors all in the name of ratings, ratings, ratings. Think De Niro in Taxi Driver for the level Jake ascends to here. One of the best films of the year and sorry to Michael Keaton, Eddie Redmayne, etc. but Jake's Lou Bloom should go down as the most memorable acting gig and individual character of 2014. It will make your skin crawl. Rene Russo is excellent as well. The extras are good and Audio/Video presentation is top notch. Highest Recommendation!

Nightcrawler is a dark and brutal take on what deems newsworthy to downright disturbing videos of people in harms way. Jake Gyllenhaal gives a solid performance as he is just as disturbed as the videos he's on the hunt to capture. Bill Paxton has a small but humorous role and its a nice plus to see Rene Russo back on screen. She is tough as nails in this one. Universal's bluray presentation features an excellent PQ presentation, most of the movie is shown at night but the city lights on L.A are vibrant and clear. Audio is clean and clear and the bonus features are light but effective. Final thoughts for this blind buy was well the worth and a definite plus for anyone interested in a great dark drama!

The movie is set about the world of local news coverage and Nightcrawlers. Nightcrawlers are freelance camera crews that film crime scenes and accidents and sell their footage for money. There is plenty of action, car racing, and plot twists. The bonus features are limited to audio commentary and a making-of featurette.

Nightcrawler is a disturbing film about a sociopathic loner recording news stories on speculation. It is not about the X-Men character of the same name. It features terrific performances from Gyllenhaal and Russo and an Oscar nominated script from writer/director Gilroy. I enjoyed the film greatly, but felt the modern, crisp and clear digital cinematography was too clean and colorful for the film's content. It needed a rougher, darker look similar to Taxi Driver or Hannibal.

Writer-director Dan Gilroy has crafted an excellent tale of how to fulfill your own American Dream, just so long as you are willing to do everything immoral, corrupt, illegal and awful to get what you want. Jake Gyllenhaal delivers his best performance, physically transforming himself into a gangly, bug-eyed thief who suddenly decides to chase ambulances and police with a video camera and sell the bloody footage to Los Angeles news stations. Rene Russo delivers an excellent performance as a news director hungry for ratings who finds herself dragged further into hell.

This movie demonstrated another stellar performance by Jake Gyllenhaal. It's really unfortunate that this performance did not earn him a nomination for an Academy Award. The story of this movie could have made for a very good movie. Unfortunately it just did not achieve such greatness. Well worth seeing but beware that this movie contains some graphic violence.

JAKE GYLLENHAAL IS BRILLIANT!!! I've seen him in in movies and making appearances now and then and always considered him a decent actor. But after seeing him transform himself into an entirely different person without a trace of his real self, I can say he deserves to be considered one of our greatest treasures! Lou Bloom could probably run for the President he is that slick, conniving and convincing in this movie!! Standing ovation!!!

The cover claims that Jake Gyllenhaal is in this movie. But I didn't see him anywhere. Just a really unsettling man who creeped me out for 2 hours. If you like to take in the city at night and listen to the radio in the dark then this movie was made for you. I dare not give away any story details, as it is all truly shocking to see and understand. And it delivers the most disturbing movie sociopath since Patrick Bateman.

Jake Gyllenhaal falls deep into the character of Lou Bloom in Nightcrawler, a movie about a guy who finds out he can make money by filming accidents and crimes and selling it to new channels. The length he will go to film the perfect crime is extraordinary and his motivation is infectious. Overall, the scrip is air tight, the directing is very creative, and the actors give great performances. Definitely a must see movie.

This was one of those movies that from the previews looked like it might have potential to be good... thankfully, that proved to be true. Gyllenhall is great in this movie even though his character turns out to pretty much be a creeper. The feel of the movie is a bit dark given the subject matter but its a movie worth checking out!

I thought this movie was good, but not quite as great as some reviews suggested. Still better than 90% of recent movies, but I personally liked Kill the Messenger and Whiplash better. The commentary with the Gilroy bros. was worth the cost of the disc for me! I just wish there were more docs and featurettes to go along with it.

If you haven't seen this movie yet, I highly recommend it! This is a dark crime thriller that is nearly impossible to forget. Great A/V but lackluster extras, does contain a worth-while commentary track though. I recommend purchasing the Blu-Ray strictly for fans of the movie at a reasonable price, for anyone else rent instead.