Jake Gyllenhaal has been on a roll lately with brilliant performances in End of Watch, Prisoners, Enemy and now Nightcrawler. Dan Gilroy's stupendous directorial debut is driven almost entirely by Gyllenhaal's fantastic work in the lead role of Lou Bloom, a ridiculously ambitious if also completely sociopathic slimeball who will stop at nothing to further his career in the world of crime "journalism". What's so great and so brave about this performance is that it takes Gyllenhaal's usually charming, suave persona and totally turns it on its head. The actor's appeal is instead used to paint a character of enormous confidence who simply steamrolls anyone who gets in his way, a man driven to the extent that it alienates those around him. While Bloom could easily have become a black-and-white villain by movie's end, Gyllehaal's outstanding work instead allows him to materialise as someone audiences can't help but admire in his ambition, even as his methods become increasingly dangerous to both himself and those around him. If the actor sneaks a Best Actor nomination next week, it'll be a major victory for outside-the-box acting.
Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes).
General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.
