Nightcrawler (film)

Nightcrawler

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Dan Gilroy
Produced by
Written by Dan Gilroy
Starring
Music by James Newton Howard
Cinematography Robert Elswit
Edited by John Gilroy
Production
company
Distributed by Open Road Films
Release dates
  • September 5, 2014 (2014-09-05) (TIFF)
  • October 31, 2014 (2014-10-31) (United States)
Running time
 117 minutes[1]
Country United States
Language English
Budget $8.5 million
Box office $50.3 million

Nightcrawler is a 2014 thriller film written and directed by Dan Gilroy. The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a thief who starts shooting live footage of accidents and crimes in Los Angeles, selling the content to a local news channel as a stringer while secretly sabotaging both crime scenes and other news reporters. It also features Rene Russo, Riz Ahmed and Bill Paxton.

The film had its world premiere at the Special Presentations section of the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. It was released theatrically by Open Road Films on October 31, 2014. It received critical acclaim and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay at the 87th Academy Awards.

Plot

Caught stealing from a Los Angeles construction site, Louis Bloom is confronted by a security guard for trespassing. He attacks the security guard, steals his watch and leaves with the stolen material. After selling the material at a scrap yard, Bloom asks for a job, but the foreman says he does not hire thieves.

Driving home, Lou sees a car crash and pulls over. Stringers—freelance photojournalists—arrive and record two police officers pulling a woman from the wreck. One of the stringers, Joe Loder, tells Lou that they sell their footage to local news stations. Inspired, Lou steals a bicycle and trades it for a camcorder and a police radio scanner. After two unsuccessful attempts at recording incidents, Lou records the aftermath of a fatal carjacking and sells the footage to KWLA 6.

The morning news director Nina Romina tells him the station is especially interested in footage of violent incidents in affluent areas. Lou hires an assistant, Rick, a young man desperate for money. To give his footage more impact, Lou begins tampering with crime scenes and in one case moves a body. As Lou's work gains traction, he buys better equipment and a faster car.

Lou coerces Nina into a date and threatens to end his business with her unless she has sex with him, knowing her job depends on his footage. She agrees. The next day he turns down a business offer from Loder, who beats him to an important plane crash story later that night. Nina berates Lou to get better footage and keep his end of their bargain. Lou sabotages Joe's van; when it crashes, Joe is severely injured and Lou records the aftermath.

Bloom and Rick arrive before the police at the site of a home invasion in an affluent neighborhood. Bloom records footage of the gunmen leaving in their SUV and of the murder victims in the house. The news staff fret over the ethics of the footage but Nina is eager to break the story. In exchange, Bloom demands public credit and more money.

Police detective Frontieri questions Lou about his connection to the home invasion. He gives her edited footage of the home invasion, cutting out the parts with the gunmen. That night, he and Rick track down the gunmen; Lou plans to follow them to a more affluent area, then call the police and record the ensuing confrontation. Scared, Rick demands half the money Bloom stands to make, threatening to tell the police about Bloom's crimes. Bloom agrees.

When the gunmen stop at a restaurant, Bloom phones the police. They arrive and exchange gunfire. One suspect is killed while the other manages to escape in his SUV. The police give chase with Bloom and Rick tailing and recording. After the gunman's SUV crashes, Bloom urges Rick to film the gunman, claiming he is dead. The wounded gunman shoots Rick through the glass and tries to escape but is shot by police. As Rick lies dying, Bloom films him and tells him that he cannot work with someone he does not trust.

Nina is awed by the footage and expresses her devotion to Bloom. The news team discovers that the "home invasion" was actually a drug deal gone wrong; Nina omits this information to maximize the story's impact. Police try to confiscate the footage for evidence but Nina defends her right to withhold it. Interrogated by police detective Frontieri, Bloom fabricates a story about the men in the SUV following him; Frontieri suspects he is lying, but cannot prove it. Lou hires a team of interns and new vans to expand his business.

Cast

Themes

According to Dean Biron of Overland, "Nightcrawler is a shattering critique of both modern-day media practice and consumer culture".[2] Throughout the film, Nina sensationalizes news headlines to increase viewership. PopMatters' Jon Lisi believes that, because of Nina's actions, the film specifically targets journalists who fabricate headlines in order to combat a decline in viewership.[3] Ed Rampell of The Progressive offers similar commentary, stating that "in its most scathing critique of the news media Nightcrawler contends that ethnic and class biases are used to determine what is, and is not, deemed 'worthy' of news coverage. Local politics and related matters that actually affect viewers' lives get short shrift."[4] As much as the film is an indictment of modern day journalism, Nightcrawler's director Dan Gilroy noted that his goal was for audiences to realize that by watching sensationalized news stories, they themselves are encouraging unethical journalism practices.[5] Biron argues that Lou's character in the film is created because of consumer demand, and that he is a "reflection of the symbiotic relationship between commercial imperatives and audience desire".[2]

Production

Development and writing

Nightcrawler was directed by Dan Gilroy, who came up with the idea for the film about photojournalism after reading the photo-book Naked City in 1988. Naked City was written by Weegee, who in the 1930s would photograph New York City residents at night and sell the pictures to tabloids. Intrigued by this lifestyle, Gilroy wrote a film treatment that he described as having a "Chinatown feel".[6] However, when The Public Eye (1992) came out, a film loosely based on Weegee's life, Gilroy shelved the idea until he moved to Los Angeles.[7] He noticed that some videos shown on the local news would have a logo, denoting that it was the property of a freelance photojournalist. Gilroy discovered that these photojournalists were called stringers, people who would record late night events such as car chases and shootouts, and sell their footage to news stations;[8] he considered them to be the modern day equivalent of Weegee.[9] Unaware of any film that focused on the life of a stringer, Gilroy began writing the screenplay.[10]

Gilroy spent several years trying to write a plot that would fit the setting, and experimented with conspiracies and murder mysteries as central story elements.[11] Eventually, he decided to instead start by designing the characters, and attempted to create a standard literary hero. Unable to create an interesting hero character, he then envisioned an antihero as the lead character. Gilroy felt that antiheros were a rarity in films, because they are difficult to write, and usually devolve into psychopaths; in an attempt to break this stereotype, he thought of writing an antihero success story.[12] Several films were used to research how to write antiheros, including The King of Comedy (1983), To Die For (1995), and The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999).[10]

To create Lou Bloom's character, Gilroy explored the ideas of unemployment and capitalism. He wanted to portray Lou as someone who perpetually focuses by the precepts of capitalism, and that these thoughts not only give him sanity, but also push him over the edge.[13][14] Gilroy intentionally avoided giving Lou a character arc, as he believed that people develop their ideals at a certain point in their life, and that they stay that way regardless of what happens. This is depicted in the opening scene of the film, when Lou attacks a security guard, to inform the audience that Lou is a criminal, and not someone who lost their morality as a result of the job.[15] In addition, Lou's backstory was purposefully left out of the script, as Gilroy felt that without one, the audience would create their own backstories for Lou, and become more engaged with the character.[10] Gilroy remarked that Lou eventually became a vehicle for the ideas and themes that he wanted to express in the script.[16]

Pre-production and casting

Once the script was finalized, Gilroy knew that he wanted to direct the film. He sent the script to his brother Tony Gilroy, and asked him for advice on directing. His brother described the script as "absolutely compelling", and noted every person who read the script afterwards wanted to work on the project, a rarity in the film industry. The production crew included film editor and another Gilory brother John Gilroy, cinematographer Robert Elswit, and composer James Newton Howard.[7] Gilroy had previously met Elswit while working as a screenplay writer for The Bourne Legacy; the two formed a friendship, and created a shot-list months before filming.[17] The production team needed licensed background footage for the newsroom scenes, and the Raishbrook brothers, three real life stringers, offered their footage.[18] The Raishbrook brothers were eventually brought on as technical advisers.[19]

Jake Gyllenhaal in 2015
Jake Gyllenhaal was cast for the role of Lou Bloom.

Jake Gyllenhaal was Gilroy's first choice for the role of Lou. During pre-production, Gyllenhaal was going to star in another film, but that project fell through, allowing Gilroy to meet with him.[7] Gilroy flew to Atlanta where Gyllenhaal was filming Prisoners (2013), and the two discussed the script.[20] When Gilroy told Gyllenhaal that he wrote Nightcrawler as a success story, Gyllenhaal became interested in the film. The two rehearsed the script months before filming began, and Gyllenhaal became heavily involved in production, from choosing members of the crew to watching audition tapes.[7][21] While rehearsing the character, Gilroy mentioned how he saw Lou as a coyote, a nocturnal predator who is driven by its never ending hunger.[20] Gyllenhaal took this comment literally, and lost nearly thirty pounds by eating nothing but kale salads and chewing gum, and running fifteen miles every day.[22] Although some of the crew were not happy with this decision, Gilroy was supportive of the weight loss; Gyllenhaal was respectful and did not change the script, so Gilroy wanted to reciprocate this generosity.[9]

Gyllenhaal stated that he did not want a recognizable actor for Rick, which led to auditions; Riz Ahmed was one of seventy-five actors to audition for the role of Rick.[7] The British actor was attending a friend's wedding in Los Angeles, when his talent agent suggested he meet Gilroy to discuss the film's script. Gilroy told Ahmed that he had seen his previous work, and that he was not fit for the role, but still allowed him to audition.[23] Within the first minute of his audition tape however, Gilroy felt confident in the actor's abilities.[7] To prepare for the role, Ahmed met with homeless people in Skid Row, and researched homeless shelters to "understand the system". He found that most of the people dealt with abandonment issues, and attempted to replicate this in Rick's abusive relationship with Lou.[23] Additionally, Gilroy, Gyllenhaal, and Ahmed all rode with the Raishbrook brothers at night to accurately portray their lifestyle.[24][25]

Gilroy specifically wrote the role of Nina for his wife Rene Russo; this was because he felt that Nina could easily be reduced to a "hard-nosed corporate bitch", but Russo would bring a sense of vulnerability to the character.[7] Although Russo was unaware that Gilroy had done this while writing the script, she was interested in performing the role, as she had never played the role of a desperate woman in a film.[26] Russo initially struggled with the character, because she never saw herself as the victim. In order to accurately portray the character, Russo began to recall memories of when she crossed moral boundaries in her life as a result of desperation and fear. In contrast to Gyllenhaal and Ahmed, Russo did not consult news directors or journalists to prepare for the role, as she believed that Nina could be in any business, and did not want to hinder her character to one area.[27]

Filming

Nightcrawler was filmed on a budget of $8.5 million, most of which was financed by Bold Films.[28][29] Part of the budget came from the $2.3 million allocation from the California Film Tax Credit program, a program the rewards directors for producing films in California.[29][30] Tony Gilroy noted the budget was extremely low, and should have "easily cost twice that amount".[7] In order to make the most out of the budget, Elswit built "efficiencies" into each day of the film schedule, a role that all three Gilroy bothers described as being instrumental to the completion of the film.[7] Before the filming for Nightcrawler began, the production crew spent two days location scouting across Los Angeles.[7] Some crew members did not believe there was going to be enough time to film every scene, and that at least fifteen pages of the script would have to be cut; Gilroy took this comment as a personal challenge.[7] Principal photography began on October 6, 2013 in Los Angeles and lasted 27 days.[12][29] Filming was a hectic process, as eighty locations were used, and there were many times in which the crew had to move two different times each night.[20] Gilroy remarked that there was never a day that filming was not completed minutes before sunrise.[7]

One of the goals while filming Nightcrawler was to portray Los Angeles as having "an untamed spirit, a wildness, a timelessness, about it", and to not let the visuals dictate the dark tone of the script. Gilroy believes that, in contrast to desaturated, man-made feel that the city is often depicted as, Los Angeles is a "landscape of primal struggle and survival".[17] Gyllenhaal's animalistic approach to the script influenced this belief, and the idea was to film Nightcrawler like a wildlife documentary.[16] To achieve this goal, Elswit used wide-angle lens, depth of field, and avoided soft focus to bring a sense of landscape.[7][17]

Release

Theatrical run

Nightcrawler had its world premiere on September 5, at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.[31] It also screened at several other film festivals, including the Atlantic Film Festival,[32] Fantastic Fest,[33] and the Rome Film Festival.[34] The film was originally scheduled for a theatrical release on October 17, but Open Road Films moved the release to October 31, to avoid competition with Fury, Birdman, Dracula Untold, and The Book of Life.[35] In North America, Nightcrawler earned $500,000 from early screenings, and after opening to 2,766 theaters, grossed $3.2 million on its first day of release.[36][37] It finished its opening weekend with $10.9 million;[38] journalists attributed the low sales to Halloween festivities.[37][38] In its second weekend, Nightcrawler dropped forty-nine percent in sales, and grossed $5.4 million.[39] After grossing $28.8 million, Nightcrawler reentered North American theaters due to several nominations during the 2014 film awards season.[40] The film eventually finished with $32.4 million in North America.[28] In the United Kingdom, Nightcrawler opened to £1 million ($1.33 million), and grossed an additional £545,221 ($725,563) in its second weekend.[41][42] The film would eventually earn $18 million in international territories, and when combined with its North American sales, earned $50.3 million.[28]

Critical response

Nightcrawler received critical acclaim, with many praising Gyllenhaal's performance and Gilroy's script. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a score of 95%, based on 226 reviews, with a rating average of 8.2/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Restless, visually sleek, and powered by a lithe star performance from Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler offers dark, thought-provoking thrills."[43] On Metacritic, another review aggregator, the film has a score of 76 out of 100, based on 45 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[44] On CinemaScore, audiences gave the film an average grade of "B–" on an A+ to F scale.[45]

Reviewers call Gyllenhaal's character a "charming sociopath" and his performance "a bravura, career-changing tour-de-force."[46][47][48] Christy Lemire of the Chicago Sun-Times called Gyllenhaal's performance "supremely creepy" and praised the film's themes and messages.[49] Christopher Orr of The Atlantic compared Gyllenhaal to a young Robert De Niro and his performances in the films Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy, feeling Gyllenhaal's character harbored traits shared by De Niro's characters in the two films. Orr called Gyllenhaal "tremendous" in the role and stated that the actor is learning to "channel an eerie, inner charisma, offering it up in glimpses and glimmers rather than all at once." He also declared the role as Gyllenhaal's "best performance to date."[50] Ben Sachs of the Chicago Reader said, "For a first-time director, Gilroy demonstrates an uncommon assurance, not only in his audacious tonal shifts but in the stellar work he elicits from his cast and crew."[51] Conversely, Richard Roeper gave the movie a C+, calling Gyllenhaal's performance "brilliant", but ultimately saying, "[I] didn't buy the ending and there were just too many broad jabs at the TV news business."

Accolades

References

  1. ↑ "Nightcrawler". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  2. 1 2 Biron, Dean (February 6, 2015). "Nightcrawler: a moral dilemma of our own making". Overland. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  3. ↑ Lisi, Jon (February 9, 2015). "'Nightcrawler' Reminds Us That Capitalism and the Media Have Gotten Worse". PopMatters. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  4. ↑ Rampell, Ed (October 31, 2014). "Nightcrawler: Journalism's Creepy Ethics". The Progressive. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  5. ↑ Fleming Jr., Mike (November 2, 2014). "Dan and Tony Gilroy of 'Nightcrawler' Talk Media Ugliness In The Digital Age: Q&A". Deadline.com. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
  6. ↑ Friend, Tad (November 10, 2014). "Rembrandt Lighting". The New Yorker. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Nightcrawler Blu-ray edition (Audio commentary). Dan Gilroy, John Gilroy, Tony Gilroy. Universal Studios Home Entertainment. 2015.
  8. ↑ Douglas, Edward (October 29, 2014). "Interview: Nightcrawler Director Dan Gilroy Explores the Underbelly of L.A. News". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  9. 1 2 Hammond, Pete (January 7, 2015). "Oscars: Dan Gilroy Taking Creepy 'Nightcrawler' Deep Into Race With Sterling Directorial Debut". Deadline.com. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  10. 1 2 3 Britt, Thomas (February 23, 2015). "An Interview With Dan Gilroy of 'Nightcrawler'". PopMatters. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  11. ↑ Ward, Tom (February 20, 2015). "Nightcrawler: How Dan Gilroy Made The Most Original Film Of The Year". Esquire. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  12. 1 2 Sragow, Michael (February 10, 2015). "Interview: Dan Gilroy". Film Comment. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  13. ↑ Rocchi, James (October 29, 2014). "Interview: 'Nightcrawler' Director Dan Gilroy Talks Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Elswit & Sociopaths". IndieWire. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  14. ↑ Mitchell, Elvis (October 29, 2014). "Dan Gilroy: Nightcrawler". KCRW. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  15. ↑ Bailey, Jason (February 6, 2015). ""I Did Not Want a Character With an Arc": 'Nightcrawler' Filmmaker Dan Gilroy on His Oscar Nomination, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Crime Scene Photography". Flavorwire. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  16. 1 2 Sollosi, Mary (October 27, 2014). ""It Had to Be Los Angeles." Director Dan Gilroy on Nightcrawler's Untamed Energy". Film Independent. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  17. 1 2 3 Ralske, Josh (Fall 2014). "Exploring The Dark Places". MovieMaker. 21 (111): 40–43.
  18. ↑ Utichi, Joe (December 29, 2014). "Three English Brothers Are The Real-Life Nightcrawlers Who Inspired Jake Gyllenhaal's Lou Bloom". Deadline.com. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
  19. ↑ Zeitchik, Steven (November 12, 2014). "Movie fiction mirrors fact for L.A.'s real-life 'nightcrawlers'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
  20. 1 2 3 "Interview: Nightcrawler director Dan Gilroy". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. October 30, 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
  21. ↑ Fischer, Russ (October 31, 2014). "Interview: 'Nightcrawler' Director Dan Gilroy on Manipulation and Ditching the Character Arc". /Film. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
  22. ↑ Lee, Chris (October 23, 2014). "You Don't Know Jake". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
  23. 1 2 Black, Claire (November 2, 2014). "Riz Ahmed winning rave reviews for new film role". The Scotsman. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
  24. ↑ Pitts, Byron; Litoff, Alyssa; Effron, Lauren (October 27, 2014). "How a Coyote and Real-Life News Stringer Helped Jake Gyllenhaal Prepare for 'Nightcrawler' Role". ABC News. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
  25. ↑ "Nightcrawler Interview — Riz Ahmed (2014) — Dan Gilroy Crime Drama". Movieclips. October 29, 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
  26. ↑ Aftab, Kaleem (October 17, 2014). "Rene Russo, interview: Actress back with a bang in new film Nightcrawler". The Independent. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
  27. ↑ Vineyard, Jennifer (January 4, 2015). "Rene Russo on Nightcrawler, Career Regrets, and Not Having a Sex Scene With Jake Gyllenhaal". Vulture.com. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  28. 1 2 3 "Nightcrawler (2014)". The Numbers. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  29. 1 2 3 McNary, Dave (September 19, 2013). "Jake Gyllenhaal's 'Nightcrawler' Gets California Incentive (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
  30. ↑ "California Film & Television Tax Credit Program 2.0". California Film Commission. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  31. ↑ Shea, Courtney (September 6, 2014). "Bill Murray on the dance floor is Friday night's TIFF FOMO moment to beat". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  32. ↑ Levine, Sydney (September 5, 2014). "The 34th Atlantic Film Festival announces Full Festival Program". IndieWire. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  33. ↑ Yamato, Jen (August 27, 2014). "'Nightcrawler' To Close Fantastic Fest 2014; 'John Wick' Joins Lineup". Deadline.com. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  34. ↑ Vivarelli, Nick (September 29, 2014). "Rome Film Fest Unveils New Concept Lineup Comprising Twenty Four World Preems". Variety. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  35. ↑ "Jake Gyllenhaal's 'Nightcrawler' Moves to Halloween, Avoids Brad Pitt's 'Fury'". TheWrap. August 19, 2014. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  36. ↑ Brooks, Brian (December 30, 2014). "How 'Nightcrawler' Found Daylight At The Boxoffice". Deadline.com. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  37. 1 2 Zeitchik, Steven (November 1, 2014). "Friday box office: 'Ouija' inches ahead of 'Nightcrawler'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  38. 1 2 Subers, Ray (November 2, 2014). "Weekend Report: 'Nightcrawler,' 'Ouija' in Dead Heat Over Halloween". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  39. ↑ Subers, Ray (November 9, 2014). "Weekend Report: Disney's 'Big Hero 6' Eclipses Nolan's 'Interstellar'". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  40. ↑ Hipes, Patrick (December 3, 2014). "'Nightcrawler' Crawling Back Into Theaters In Awards Push". Deadline.com. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  41. ↑ Grant, Charles (November 4, 2014). "Mr Turner makes a big impression at the UK box office". theguardian.com. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  42. ↑ Grant, Charles (November 11, 2014). "Interstellar goes into orbit at UK box office with Mr Turner rising fast". theguardian.com. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  43. ↑ "Nightcrawler (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  44. ↑ "Nightcrawler". Metacritic. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  45. ↑ https://m.cinemascore.com
  46. ↑ Monk, Katherine (October 31, 2014). "Nightcrawler, reviewed: Jake Gyllenhaal's charming sociopath anchors tale of morality in the City of Angels". National Post. Retrieved December 25, 2014.
  47. ↑ Lumenick, Lou (October 30, 2014). "Gyllenhaal stuns as a sociopathic TV cameraman in 'Nightcrawler'". New York Post. Retrieved December 25, 2014.
  48. ↑ Baker, Jeff (October 30, 2014). "'Nightcrawler' review: Jake Gyllenhaal is a violent sociopath who finds a rewarding career in TV news". oregonian.com. Retrieved December 25, 2014.
  49. ↑ Lemire, Christy (November 5, 2014). "Nightcrawler". ChristyLemire.com. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
  50. ↑ Orr, Christopher (October 31, 2014). "Nightcrawler: A Breakthrough for Jake Gyllenhaal". The Atlantic. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
  51. ↑ Sachs, Ben (October 29, 2014). "In Nightcrawler, if it bleeds, it leads". Chicago Reader. Retrieved December 23, 2014.

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