Nightcrawler (2014)
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An unhinged stringer seeks out violent and morbid events in Los Angeles to sell exclusive footage to a local news station.
The story
In Los Angeles, an unhinged stringer named Lou Bloom seeks out violent and morbid events late at night to film and sell the footage to a local television news station. After a series of successful captures, Lou establishes a working relationship with a news director, Nina Romina. As Lou's career gains momentum, he begins to manipulate crime scenes and use aggressive tactics to secure more sensational content. The film explores the murky boundaries of ethics in the pursuit of high ratings and the symbiotic relationship between desperate media and the public's demand for sensationalism.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Lou Bloom, a man driven by the principles of capitalism, operates as a stringer in Los Angeles, filming violent incidents for a local news station. After successfully selling footage of a carjacking, he hires an assistant, Rick, and begins to manipulate crime scenes for better angles. He eventually pressures his news director, Nina Romina, into a deal involving higher pay and personal concessions in exchange for his exclusive footage. Lou's ambition leads him to sabotage a rival stringer, Joe Loder, who is subsequently injured in a crash. Lou then captures footage of a triple-homicide home invasion, which he uses to further leverage his position with Nina. The plot culminates in a high-speed chase involving a gunman; during the chaos, Rick is shot and killed while filming. Despite the ethical fallout and police scrutiny, Lou successfully secures his position, eventually expanding his operation with more equipment and a team of interns, continuing his ruthless pursuit of sensational content.
- First release year
- 2014
- Runtime (minutes)
- 117
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Dan Gilroy
- Writers
- Dan Gilroy · writer
- Cast and characters
- Jake Gyllenhaal · Louis "Lou" Bloom; Rene Russo · Nina Romina; Riz Ahmed · Rick; Bill Paxton · Joe Loder
- Genres
- neo-noir; satirical thriller
- Themes
- critique of modern-day media practice; consumer culture; unethical journalism; capitalism; ethical boundaries
- Tone and mood
- dark; tense
- Premise and plot tags
- media; crime; psychological
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- The film was met with widespread praise, particularly for its screenplay and the performances of Gyllenhaal and Russo. It was noted for its dark, thought-provoking thrills and was included on several critics' best-of lists.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 95% · scale: percentage · review count: 279; Metacritic · score: 76 · scale: 100 · review count: 45
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Original Screenplay · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was originally planned as a story about the life of photographer Weegee.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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