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Jake Gyllenhaal doesn’t take no for an answer in Nightcrawler. Currently available on Blu-ray, DVD, and VOD everywhere.

In one of his finest performances to date, Gyllenhaal, transforms himself into a neurotic crash chaser Lou Bloom. Lou is a modern young guy who finds himself on the unfortunate end of the job market. Just like many college grads and young adults these days are looking for work. Bloom isn’t your average kinda guy. He’s a neurotic matter-of-fact go-getter whose domineering persistence rubs people the wrong way. Lou discovers his big opportunity while coming across a group of news chasers at a scene of an accident.

Bloom’s newfound obsession over catching footage of breaking news leads him down to a dark path. He befriends a local news reporter named Nina (Rene Russo) who feeds into his devious hobby by providing him cash for footage he gathers. In order to fill his strong desire to succeed in his new occupation, Lou will do whatever it takes to make a name for himself. The situation gets out of control as his affinity for crossing the line starts getting the best of him and leads him down a dangerous path of making news, instead of capturing them.

Gyllenhaal is pure dynamite in this role. Polarizing in every sense. Bloom’s composed, yet eerie demeanor is frightening to observe. To think that there are guys out there like Bloom is a scary thought. With all the chills that Gyllenhaal’s portray of Bloom brings, there is a strong sense of appreciation for a guy who will do whatever it takes to succeed. He blurs the lines between ambition and obsession. This is the kind of dynamic role that has been brewing for Gyllenhaal the past few years. Russo makes her comeback to the big screen, after taking a hiatus. Her authoritative and desperate persona blends with Bloom’s character as soon as they come together.

Dan Gilroy, who received an Oscar nomination for Adapted Screenplay for Nightcrawler, showcases how in-tune he was with the setting of the film and it’s characters. Nightcrawler has a neo-noir feel to it from start to finish. Dark streets, dark areas, dark characters, it’s all presented in a seamless way. The bright street and camera lights mainly illuminate Bloom, it’s fitting that way.

The Blu-ray and DVD combo includes two featurettes. If It Bleeds, It Leads: Making Nightcrawler is a 5 minute feature that has Gyllenhaal and the production team discuss the character of Lou Bloom. They also incorporate the inspiration for the film, and there is a brief interview with real life news chasers. A quick, but informative bonus feature that is worth checking out. The other feature is a Commentary with Writer/Director Dan Gilroy. The lack of additional content does hinder the DVD combo pack a bit. The quality of the movie still makes it a must own.

It’s a shame that Nightcrawler turned out to be one of the bigger snubs for the Oscars. Easily this could have made the 10 best picture nomination. Dan Gilroy makes quite the commentary on society with this film. He brings to attention how media will do whatever it takes to get the scoop, with no empathy for the people involved in the very videos they are scrambling to get. We as a society are so obsessed with gathering information and being the first to break news. What gets overlooked is the unfortunate human element that makes these incidents actual news. Gilroy should have also garnered more consideration for Best Director. The travesty in all of this is that Gyllenhaal gives one of the most memorable performances of his career and won’t even have a nomination to show for it. This is one of those movies that people and awards voters will look back and realize that they overlooked how relevant the movie is to today’s society that we live in. Nightcrawler is a must see. One of the best thrillers, if not films of 2014.

NIGHTCRAWLER DVD- 8.5 out of 10! 

Gyllenhaal is scary good