If it bleeds, it leads. (Nightcrawler - 2014 - R)

My friend Colleen has been on me about watching Nightcrawler since she saw it in theaters. And good grief...this film was a wild ride from start to finish.

This thriller is set in Los Angeles, where unemployed Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal - Zodiac, Love & Other Drugs) is participating in some sketchy activities in order to get by - simple things you know, like stealing metal, watches, bikes. But when he happens upon a car crash and a couple of news video scavengers show up, Lou thinks he's found his calling. He pawns a stolen bike for a camcorder and takes off to find the crime of the night, hiring ill-fated Rick as his navigator and assistant.

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Lou becomes obsessed with being the first video crew on the scene and his moral compass begins to sway - that is if he even had one in the first place. He begins breaking into crime scenes and even staging them so he can get the best shot. It all leads up to a lovely unexpected twist near the end of the film.

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I started Nightcrawler thinking I was going to get the chance to actually like Lou before he turned salty, but I was quite wrong. His character was creepy from the get-go - obsessive manipulative, and scary good at selling himself. Think Patrick Bateman from American Psycho without the actual murdering, though I wouldn't put it past Lou if there were ever to be a sequel.

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As far as plot goes, I felt this film was kind of lacking. While it was entertaining, I didn't feel that there was anything really pulling it along rhythmically besides Lou's obsession with his work. There was no realistic resolution, which also bothered me. When Lou is finally confronted by investigators, they basically just slap him on the wrist and send him away. I also felt that the cinematography could have been better as each scene felt the same with a background of mostly police cars and firetrucks.

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I was pretty hyped for Nightcrawler, but it left me hanging. It's a thriller with no real horror or suspense - unless you count the scene where Lou screams at a mirror. But it is graphic and gory, showing lots of dead and nearly dead bodies, hence the R rating. Ultimately, it was a decent film, but not the best for a thrill. Rating: 1.5 pints of Ben & Jerry's.