Review Roundup: Jake Gyllenhaal Stars in NIGHTCRAWLER, Hitting Theaters Tomorrow

NIGHTCRAWLER, a new a pulse-pounding thriller set in the nocturnal underbelly of contemporary Los Angeles, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, hits theaters tomorrow, Oct. 31.

Gyllenhaal stars as Lou Bloom, a driven young man desperate for work who discovers the high-speed world of L.A. crime journalism. Finding a group of freelance camera crews who film crashes, fires, murder and other mayhem, Lou muscles into the cut-throat, dangerous realm of nightcrawling -- where each police siren wail equals a possible Windfall and victims are converted into dollars and cents. Aided by Rene Russo as Nina, a veteran of the blood-sport that is local TV news, Lou thrives. In the breakneck, ceaseless search for footage, he becomes the star of his own story.

The film co-stars Rene Russo, Bill Paxton, and Riz Ahmed.

Let's see what the critics had to say...

Scott Foundas, Variety: A flashy but hollow first directing gig for veteran screenwriter Dan Gilroy ("The Bourne Legacy"), this Oct. 31 Open Road release is a star vehicle that will test audience enthusiasm for Gyllenhaal's big, mannered star turn - a feast of capital-A acting that's sometimes amusing to watch but not believable for so much as a second.

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: As Lou Bloom, a freelance TV news cameraman with a nose for graphic tragedy, Jake Gyllenhaal creeped me out big-time. I mean that as high praise. Gyllenhaal, in a poisonously potent performance, twitches with morbid excitement.

Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: Overstatement is the sincerest form of outrage in "Nightcrawler," an impressive directorial debut from screenwriter Dan Gilroy that, true to its title, creeps under the viewer's skin much like the predatory title character, who restlessly cruises through this modern-day media allegory like Travis Bickle's long-lost, hyper-wired West Coast cousin.

Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter: "If it bleeds, it leads," is the mantra that best describes our media's obsessive exploitation of violence, feeding it to an audience hungry to see lots of blood and guts from the comfort of their own living rooms. Taking that slogan far too literally, a lonely sociopath decides to enter the cutthroat world of freelance TV news reporting, only to find himself slowly edging towards the wrong side of the crime tape, in writer-director Dan Gilroy's debut feature Nightcrawler.

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: ...Mr. Gyllenhaal's startling portrayal is far from the only distinction in this impeccably crafted feature film. Mr. Gilroy's directorial debut connects its hero's tacit madness to the larger craziness of a broadcast medium that teaches vast numbers of viewers to live with a false sense of insecurity.

Inkoo Kang, The Wrap: If you think such a grotesque scenario could never happen here, "Nightcrawler" would argue otherwise. Dan Gilroy's exciting and extraordinary directorial debut denounces the crime porn that passes itself off as local TV news today.

Jocelyn Novek, Associated Press: Gyllenhaal's bold, committed performance makes "Nightcrawler" one of the most entertaining movies of the year - though hardly the most profound. The film seeks to convey the seaminess of local TV news, summed up by the phrase "If it bleeds, it leads." The thing is: We already knew this. And frankly, there are so many disturbing things going on in the world right now that it's hard to get too worked up about it.

A.O. Scott, The New York Times: But a creepy disposition does not an antihero make, and "Nightcrawler" never attains anywhere near the gravity or the impact of "Taxi Driver" and"The King of Comedy." Its message - that the news media feeds a morbid fascination with atrocity - is hardly implausible, but the target is more than a little shopworn, and the stance of queasy outrage feels secondhand, not to say a bit hypocritical.

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: Jake Gyllenhaal lost 30 pounds for his new movie, "Nightcrawler," and the result is simple and eerie, much like the film itself. He appears to be wearing a Jake Gyllenhaal mask, all cheekbones, sallow complexion and unblinking laser-beam eyes.

Claudia Puig, USA Today: Speeding around the sprawling streets and freeways of Los Angeles, Jake Gyllenhaal masterfully plays a creep who profits from other people's misfortunes inNightcrawler. Thirty pounds lighter, all cheekbones and bulging eyes, Gyllenhaal plays one of the year's most memorable characters in this dark, provocative drama (*** ½ out four; rated R; opens Friday nationwide).

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