NIGHTCRAWLER
US, 2014, 117 minutes, Colour.
Jake Gyllenhaal, Riz Ahmed, René Russo, Bill Paxton.
Directed by Dan Gilroy.
With “crawler” in the title, there is the association of “creepy”. And this is true of the central character, his behaviour, and the development of the plot. But, for this review, this is a very well made film and one of the best films of 2014.
The night crawler of the title refers to photographers who listen in to police radio information, especially at night, know where the accidents have occurred, where crimes have been committed, and are almost immediately on the spot, taking photographs, intruding, with little sensitivity towards the reality of what is happening, only interested in haste, rushing to the television station, making financial deals. These are the night paparazzi who are not interested in celebrities but in blood… If it bleeds, it will make the headlines.
Jake Gyllenhaal gives another tour de force performance, after Prisoners, as Louis Bloom, about 30, a loner, with the touch of the autistic. In a prologue to the film, we see him at night cutting through wire, stealing wire and other goods from a building site, selling them to another builder and asking to be hired. The buyer asks why he would employ a thief. But Louis has ambitions, and is prone to take notice of potential role models for work. He is an avid user of the Internet, reading a great deal of self-help material, gleaning maxims for business and success, and how to use them with potential employers.
When he comes across an accident one night and sees the photographers in action, he questions, gets advice, buys a camera and a listening device and off he goes. A manager at a television station, Nina (René Russo), takes an interest in his work which encourages him to bring her more and more material, as he chases crime scenes and accidents. With his rather acute business sense, he decides to take on an intern, advertising in the media, and interviewing a young man, Rick (Riz Ahmed, British actor in a number of films including The Reluctant Fundamentalist), who is eager to get a job and to get some pay. Sitting in his car, Louis acts with Rick as if he were in a fine office, discussing situations, payments, even the possibility for Rick to become vice president of the company.
The key elements of the latter part of the film involve Louis trespassing on a crime scene, lying to the police as to how much he saw, deciding that he would follow the criminals after filming them and their car numberplate, discover where they lived, follow them and then ring the police, filming all the time, with Rick sent down the street in a more dangerous situation.
Louis has no real emotions for Rick and puts him in danger. However, he is attracted to Nina despite the age difference but she wants to act professionally.
Louis will keep going as long as he can, building up his own video company, become more becoming more and more expert at crime scenes and filming – and wheeler dealing with the television companies for higher fees.
Louis achieves the American Dream at no cost to himself but as a cost to others – if he were to see this film he would be in admiration of his own character without realising how ugly is the world that the film is creating and how it is critiquing unscrupulous American dreams.
1. The impact of the film? Acclaim? The story, characters, performances, photography?
2. The title, the creepy element as well as the crawling? The work of these photographers, sensitivity and lack of sensitivity, exploitation of accidents and crimes? Payment?
3. The implication of this photography for customers, the television stations, for management, the personalities commenting on the events? For audiences and their appetites for sensational material?
4. The night photography, the sense of place, people, action? Los Angeles? A photo essay on the city? Musical score?
5. Jake Gyllenhaal as Louis Bloom? Age, experience, his psychological state, the touch of autism, his language, vocabulary, expressions, from self-help material, his business maxims? His self-image, pushing himself, persuasive, looking to role models?
6. The introduction, cutting the wire, on the watch, stealing the material, going to the buyer, his accepting the material, refusing to hire Louis even despite his self promotion? The interview, and his not hiring Louis ?
7. The accident, watching, seeing the photographers, talking to Joe Loder, headlines,… If it bleeds…? Situations, camera equipment, Joe’s advice, to buy a camera, equipment for listening to police information? Further advice, his success? Later rivalry with Joe? The contacts? Going to the television station, the staff, referred to Nina, discussions, the manager? Looking at the footage, editing it? The using it, some payment? His saving this and other files to his computer? Louis and his computer, often online, gleaning information, gleaning styles, his being clever?
8. The further accidents and crimes, his greater daring, the sales, talking to Nina, meeting the personalities in the station? At home at the station? At home, his life at home? Filming the scene of the crime, finding the door open, going in, finding the bodies? His exhilaration? Nina’s support? The interpretation of the crime scene as domestic violence? Later identified as drug crime?
9. His advertisement, Rick, interrogating him in the car, sounding professional? Rick’s interest? Poor, not having a TV? Mark his GPS? His being hired, issues of pay, the low pay and his realising he could have asked for more? His being on the job? The possibility of promotion, Louis and his way of rebuke? Using company language and incentive? The offer of the Vice Presidency?
10. The police, interviewing Louis, the plausibility of his account, of being on the spot, going in the house, wanting to help the injured? His ease with lying?
The police not believing him? His not getting descriptions of the assailants?
11. The reality of his action, photographing the men, the car numberplate, online finding the address? Employing Rick for the enterprise, the discussions and arguments, the tension, following the men in the car, waiting, at the diner, phoning the police, his photographing the men? Rick to go down the street at a distance to film? The police arriving, the quiet, the guns and the shootout? In the street, Rick and his coming to the car, his big being shot, Louis attending him, yet callous, not caring about his death, saying that the ambulance came to take him away? The dramatics and recklessness of the car chase? The final confrontation and the criminal killed?
12. Louis and his relationship with Nina, personal, and the meal, the discussions, the sexual implications, talk about difference in age, Nina and her wanting to be professional in relationships?
13. The final footage, Nina’s excitement, legal questions, the manager and his caution, discussion of ethics? Where did audience stand?
14. Louis, the final police challenge, his explanations?
15. The fulfilment of the American Dream, a critique of the American Dream, people as callous, unscrupulous, emotional or not, lacking ethical stances, self-centred? Louis’ future?
