Jake Gyllenhaal's Louis Bloom is easily one of the most prickly and challenging protagonists in recent cinematic history, given that audiences are likely to find themselves extremely disturbed at his sociopathic devotion to recording the grisliest crime footage for the local news station, yet at the same time, it's incredibly difficult not to admire the man's extreme level of ambition and dedication to creating a media empire for himself. Over the course of the movie, Bloom goes from being an unemployed man stealing scrap metal to, at its end, having his own growing media business. Some of us could probably learn a lesson from Bloom's dogged determination to make something of himself, but the fact that he gets his cameraman partner Rick (Riz Ahmed) deliberately killed when he begins to question his loyalty is probably a step (or twenty) too far. Lou's evident loneliness makes him an occasionally sympathetic figure, but mostly he's just one of the creepiest anti-heroes that cinema has ever seen. Even as his acts become more despicable, though, you won't be able to turn away, and considering that he operates within the thoroughly slimy racket of ratings-driven TV, he's not exactly surrounded by angels, and clearly a lot more honest about what he does than most of his colleagues.
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.
