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10 years later, this underrated action thriller is still as shocking and relevant as ever

Online Niel November 1, 2024

Nightcrawler | Red Tape Official Trailer (HD) | Global Road Entertainment

In 2014, a movie came out that was widely praised but not seen by so many people. In the following decade Nightcrawler first appeared, the specifics of its story feel less applicable to the world we live in. That story, which is basically one about the endless hunger that news outlets have for violence and gore, feels less essential than it did in 2014. Local news is not as essential to American life as it once was, and today’s criticism of the media is much less about its unrepentant interest in violence. That criticism may still be true, but it doesn’t feel as stinging as it does in 2014.

Still NightcrawlerHis appeal is enduring even despite the specifics of the plot. That’s because, even if the story seems less relevant than it once was, the larger themes it reaches are as important as ever. Here are three major reasons why Nightcrawler has endured ten years since it was first released, and why it’s still as compelling to watch in 2024 as it was in 2014.

The story and performances still resonate

Two men go to the crime scene in Nightcrawler. — Movies on the open road

The movie that plays Jake Gyllenhaal as a Los Angeles resident named Louis Bloom, who deals with thieves and con artists, follows Louis as he embarks on a new career as a news cameraman. Louis soon discovers that the local news station is looking for the most salacious footage they can find, and eventually decides to cross a few lines to get that footage. To get high ratings is essential; all other factors such as decency, honor and laws are irrelevant.

Even as the specific Nightcrawler resonates less than once, however, Nightcrawler as an object it has lost none of its potency. Part of that is due to Gyllenhaal’s central performance, which is almost without a doubt the best of his career. He creates a protagonist so unlikeable yet so endlessly watchable that you end up hating yourself for spending time with him. Become complicit in his immoral activities. If what it does is get people to watch its content, then what does it say about the audience that can’t help but watch it?

Nina looks at Louis in Nightcrawler. — Movies on the open road

Rene Russo and the then-unknown Riz Ahmed are equally good as Gyllenhaal’s cameraman and boss, respectively. Russo in particular turns in a seductive and desperate performance as Nina, the morning news anchor of a local TV station who needs to boost her poor ratings. She needs him to cross lines he can’t, and he isn’t shy about breaking his own rules, as well as a few laws, to get what he wants.

It’s a story about the darkness of the American dream

Nightcrawler | Original trailer • HD

Louis Bloom is the kind of anti-hero that was everywhere in the 2010s, but one of the things that makes his goals distinct is that he is, above all else, a hustler. He is someone who believes that with hard work and dedication, he can make anything his dreams come true. At several points in the film, he espouses this theory quite explicitly, trying to work his way into a wide range of jobs:

“I’m a hard worker,” he says. “I set big goals and was told I was persistent. Now, I’m not fooling myself, sir. Having been brought up with the self-esteem movement so popular in schools, I expected my needs to be taken into account. But I know that these days our culture no longer caters to the loyalty at work that might have been promised to previous generations. What I think, sir, is that good thoughts come to those who kick their ass.”

A man holds a camera in a white staircase in Nightcrawler. — Movies on the open road

Of course, Lou’s goal of being hugely successful is how he justifies every terrible thing he does in the film. When he films the suffering of others instead of getting help, or eventually commits crimes himself so he can film them, it’s all to prove he can be the kind of success he thinks is possible for him.

He is a hard worker, and good things come to those who work hard. Nightcrawler it shows us a man who works hard and finally gets what he wants. Along the way, however, we come to understand everyone he tramples and tortures on his way to that goal. Local TV news isn’t as relevant anymore, but the toxic nature of the dream we’ve all been sold endures.

It’s about the ways video can hide the truth

Jake Gyllenhaal in Nightcrawler. — Movies on the open road

One of the Nightcrawler’His sharpest observation is that video of a crime can obscure as much as it reveals. Even if we see every detail of a car accident or a crime that hasn’t even been reported to the police yet, we don’t understand the context in which these things happened or how often these things happen in general.

In the following decade Nightcrawler was released, it’s become even harder to trust what you’re seeing, even if you have video evidence. In an age where everything is available online, understanding what is real is actually more difficult, when there were only a few places you could get the news.

Killer clickbait

A cop lights up a man in Nightcrawler. — Movies on the open road

It’s not hard to imagine a 2024 version of Lou Bloom posting his videos, or ones that have been edited with AI or other means, all over the internet. His only goal is engagement, and he is far from alone. It seems there are Lou Blooms all over the internet, and their sole purpose is to feed the worst instincts of the people who consume their content.

There is some truth to the fact that violent videos in Nightcrawler they are so valuable because they are what viewers ultimately want to see. What is also true is that the worst instincts of a viewing public are not necessarily the ones that should be considered. However, the Lou Blooms of the world don’t care about anyone’s sense of morality. They are driven entirely by the bottom line. Content is king. Consequences be damned.

Nightcrawler is in flux Starz.