[8]

Jake Gyllenhaal stars as a morally bankrupt ambulance chaser who sells gruesome crime video to L.A. television stations. First-time writer/director Dan Gilroy paints an interesting portrait of a disturbed man who may reflect our times more accurately than we’re ready to acknowledge. Nightcrawler shows its hand pretty early on, but Gyllenhaal and co-star Rene Russo, playing a cutthroat TV news producer, keep you engrossed in the storyline. Both performances walk a fine line between believability and absurdity, but then I guess that’s what Gilroy is talking about with the material. To that effect, Nightcrawler is kinda the new Network, though not as quick to embrace dark humor as Paddy Chayefsky’s masterpiece.It goes a few scenes too far past its true ending in an attempt to further nail its message, but Nightcrawler is a refreshingly original movie and a great vehicle for its star. And it’s great to see Russo back on the big screen. With Bill Paxton.

Oscar Nomination: Best Original Screenplay