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[hydruxo]

It was a disappointing movie for me. Still pretty good though. Worth watching for Jake's performance at the very least, he was fantastic.

 

[Soyongdori]

Ok, let's just get these things out of the way:

- this is not satire
- the score fits the relevant scenes and builds on the merit of superheroe scores because that is what Lou believes he is: the hero. People calling it shit are suspect of not having watched the damn thing, imo.

The track is shit. Don't really care if the track's sole purpose was to fit in character's personality or scenes. The overall score of this movie was the worst part.

 

[- J - D -]

Yeah it's not a satire, though it does push its themes to the edge of caricature at times. It doesn't go over that edge though. You have scenes that involve Rene Russo's character pushing for news stories that emphasize minority crime against whites, it doesn't go far enough to make her and Lou come off as over the top monsters, just very amoral, pragmatic people. And that feeling persists throughout the film and across other awful and crazy moments too. I liked it the film, but I thought it could've either gone the way of satire, or the other way and be a scathing indictment of the news industry. It's somewhere in the middle.

Anyway, I didn't recognize Riz Ahmed in this (he plays Lou's assistant) without his British accent. He was in the jihad great satire Four Lions. He should be in more stuff.

 

[VARIA]

Man, I fucking loved this movie. Jake was a completely different person in this movie. That is acting to me, when you can embody the traits of a character that are completely different from your personality. Nigga was snubbed at the Oscars.

 

[Frog-fu]

Just finished watching it. Still reeling over how amazing it was. I was totally engrossed in the film. Gyllenhaal gave, by far, his best performance yet, and it's a crime he was so blatantly snubbed at the Oscars. I think he definitely deserved a nomination at the very least.

The scene in which Lou suggests to Rick that maybe it's not that he doesn't understand humans but that he simply dislikes them and isn't above hurting Rick physically to get what he wants... man, that was legitimately terrifying.

 

[Loofy]

A heartwarming tale showing that with hard work and dedication, anyone can be successful and achieve their dreams.

 

[xbhaskarx]

I can't believe JG didn't at least get a nomination for his performance... the Oscars are such a joke.

 

[Coffee Dog]

I thought it was a good ass movie, but not an incredible one.

Gyllenhaal deserved the nom.

 

[YesNOnoNOYes]

Just finished watching it. Still reeling over how amazing it was. I was totally engrossed in the film. Gyllenhaal gave, by far, his best performance yet, and it's a crime he was so blatantly snubbed at the Oscars. I think he definitely deserved a nomination at the very least.

The scene in which Lou suggests to Rick that maybe it's not that he doesn't understand humans but that he simply dislikes them and isn't above hurting Rick physically to get what he wants... man, that was legitimately terrifying.

aaaaaaaaaa

i loved, loooooooooved that scene. such a chill! *_________*

 

[Helmholtz]

I thought it was good, not great. Jake's performance was pretty darned good and probably the most noteworthy part of the movie. His partner's performance was surprisingly pretty good too.
The actual plot wasn't all that great in my opinion. Pretty predictable at times.
Wish the movie was a bit darker too.

 

[SJRB]

Just finished watching this, I'm not sure how I feel about it.

Gyllenhaal was awesome as the bizarre Lou. The character is so weird with all the business 101 textbook lines and the complete disconnect from whatever is happening. Complete sociopath. I really liked the buddy who, as things get more insane, doubts morals and ethics more and more. Obviously it's still too cartoony, but it makes for a decent balance. The overal satire is way too "on the nose", especially [like the OP mentions] the news broadcasts.

I felt the movie was remarkably boring at times, especially the middle segment. There are also a couple of bizarre scenes that feel completely out of place. Especially the

Spoiler

diner scene with Rene Ruso's character

not only dragged on but was awkward and weird. Perhaps that was the point, I don't know.

Visually the movie has a lot of awesome nighttime LA shots. The opening felt like some GTAV promo haha, that game has ruined Los Angeles forever for me. The music was awful. Like seriously bad and a tonally complete mismatch. I don't know what Horner was aiming for, but it was so bizarre to hear "kid scores his big touchdown at the main game" happy family movie music during some insane scene with Lou filming people who just got fucking shot. So weird.

This movie needed some Winding Refn special sauce, including Cliff Martinez soundtrack.

Also, about the ending:

Spoiler

there's no way Lou just got away with all that.

 

[MichaelFassbender]

Honestly, it was too compact for my liking. The end just wrapped it up in a pretty bow and there were no consequences. Could have been tonnes better.

 

[Davey Cakes]

I watched this with my brother the other night.

Fantastic movie. I absolutely loved it. Gyllenhaal was captivating from the second he appeared on screen.

The ending was refreshing, too. This is the "tight bow" kind of movie to me.

 

[SJRB]

I watched this with my brother the other night.

Fantastic movie. I absolutely loved it. Gyllenhaal was captivating from the second he appeared on screen.

The ending was refreshing, too. This is the "tight bow" kind of movie to me.

What was refreshing about the ending?

 

[Davidfoundation]

Luckily got to see this in the cinema, and enjoyed every single bit about it.

 

[BroggieDoge]

I just got around to watching this a few nights ago. Couldn't agree more OP. I Don't know if it's my own fault for waiting so long to watch it with my expectations building or what. I thought the cinematography and acting (Jake nailed it) were awesome but the film as an entirety was pretty meh.

 

[Shredderi]

I really liked it. Gyllenhaal did a hell of a job as Lou.

 

[Currygan]

felt like a mediocre product to me. Sure, Jake is great, but there really was not much in terms of branching subplots or character development. Some beautiful shots, tho


and that music. That goddamned music. The fuck was that

 

[dekline]

This movie was fantastic. wtf. Would make a great double feature with enemy.

 

[Chris R]

I liked it, but felt the film could have been better.

Worth the $2 for Jake alone.

 

[diggmcbadass]

I really liked it. Gyllenhaal did a hell of a job as Lou.

I agree. There are probably a million ways to take this movie down as lesser then it presents itself to be, but I think the strong acting and unconventional story resolution makes it one of the more interesting movies I have watched in years.

 

[Davey Cakes]

What was refreshing about the ending?

The way the main character gets off with pretty much zero consequences for his actions.

But maybe I don't watch enough movies.

 

[darkwing-buck]

The music could've been ALOT better.

 

[Typographenia]

Honestly, I didn't mind the score itself. There were just one or two instances when I think the movie would have been stronger with only sound design and no music.

 

[Tremis]

Fav movie of last year. Soundtrack and all. His eyes. The lines in this movie.... Jake is an acting god.

"I know, I know.."

Blew my mind.

 

[Aikidoka]

Definitely the best movie that I have seen that came out in 2014. Jake's performance was just incredible, in pretty much every shot you always get the sense that there's something just not right about him. And some of the way they frame and light him is creepy as hell. Certainly one of the best depictions of a sociopath type character. I kept thinking that Dexter would be a thousand times better with this kind of a performance (dexter is just a dull monotone character).

I haven't seen Whiplash yet. I'll have to check it out.

 

[jerd]

I just finished this and thought Gyllenhaal did an amazing job. I thought the music choices were absolutely baffling but this-

- the score fits the relevant scenes and builds on the merit of superheroe scores because that is what Lou believes he is: the hero. People calling it shit are suspect of not having watched the damn thing, imo.

makes so much sense and makes me feel like I need to rewatch it soon. I completely missed that.

 

[CapitalismSucks DonkeyBalls]

I absolutely enjoyed it. Really tight pacing throughout;

Spoiler

the tailing section to the shootout was some really great stuff and had me at the edge of my seat

. Gyllenhaal continues to be an excellent and sorely underrated actor.

The only thing I wanted more was more outbursts from Lou. The

Spoiler

mirror moment

was spectacular and I really thought we would have seen it a couple of more times. He's so icy calm, that I was just hoping for more cracks in the armor to appear.

 

[waypoetic]

Just saw it. Fuck what an unsettling character that Lou was. Definitely worth a re-watch. Gyllenhaal has been in some seriously creepy shit lately..

 

[Mr.Swag]

Just saw it. Fuck what an unsettling character that Lou was. Definitely worth a re-watch. Gyllenhaal has been in some seriously creepy shit lately..

Yes

Great movie
Top three for the year

 

[Jimothy]

Jake G has become the most interesting A-lister working right now. Dude has been on a roll these last couple of years.

 

[Horse Detective]

It is the best movie I have seen in a long time. I loved every second.

Maybe i'm an idiot but I loved the music. In particular, I can't get over the music played when he arrives at the crash site early and moves the body. Its so enthusiastic and charming, and feels so appropriate for what is going on in Lou's mind. Kept me completely on the edge of my seat.

Wasn't bored for a second during the film either. I found myself constantly wondering what Lou would say next. If we are making the comparison I found him slightly more funny than Bateman and definitely funnier than the Wolves of Wall Street guy.

 

[Mookie1515]

I loved it but I cracked up when Lou asked Renee Russo if she wanted to go to Casa Bonita.



edit: Ending spoiler discussion

Spoiler

So was it implicated that Lou was somehow connected to the guy that shot his partner? I didn't get why he looked at Lou and then just walk off

I know its been a joke on South Park for years, but being a Denver native its still weird to see people talk about Casa Bonita in movies or forums. Such a shit hole of a place!

 

[Damon Bennet]

I work for a TV station and I now nightcrawler. Was pretty funny to compare the way he and the character work.

 

[TMC]

I was pretty excited about watching this last night when I heard from someone that it was on Netflix. Sadly, it was not on there

 

[silver.tongue]

I think it was ok... Whiplash and Budapest Hotel were better tho.

 

[CharminUltra]

One of my favorite movies from last year. Day one Blu Ray purchase for me.

 

[NealMcCauley]

Pretty good overall. I think my favorite part about the film was how much of a cypher Lou was. He gave a very quick "grew up in north valley" bio but it could have easily been a lie to Russo. Honestly he looked like a meth addict who decided to quit cold turkey one day and never looked back.

Loved the dinner scene where he turns the tables on the boss dynamic by simply telling Russo he googled her work history and brushed it aside like it was nothing.

 

[jonnyp]

I liked it but yeah it seemed like there was a lot of missed potential in the movie which could've made it a lot better.

 

[Horse Detective]

Pretty good overall. I think my favorite part about the film was how much of a cypher Lou was. He gave a very quick "grew up in north valley" bio but it could have easily been a lie to Russo. Honestly he looked like a meth addict who decided to quit cold turkey one day and never looked back.

Loved the dinner scene where he turns the tables on the boss dynamic by simply telling Russo he googled her work history and brushed it aside like it was nothing.

Another difference of opinion from the OP...
I would love to know this character's history. Or maybe I wouldn't? All I know is that it is interesting as fuck. He is so twisted.

 

[InfiniteBento]

I loved it. Kept me on the edge of my seat every second. I don't need to know background of the main character. I was already captivated by who he was during it that how he came to be didn't matter in the slightest. The ending blew me away. The acting was fantastic, the soundtrack was on point, and the cinematography was amazing. Definitely worth every minute,imo.

 

[Lord Fagan]

Saw this in an empty theater. It was magnificent. Great build up throughout to a truly fantastic, albeit startlingly real seeming, conclusion.

Been a little lukewarm on Gyllenhall since after Donnie Darko, but I thought he owned this role. Very interested in other future projects that could let him really sink his teeth into the character the way he did here. Great work by Paxton and Russo, as well.

 

[Horse Detective]

Saw this in an empty theater. It was magnificent. Great build up throughout to a truly fantastic, albeit startlingly real seeming, conclusion.

Been a little lukewarm on Gyllenhall since after Donnie Darko, but I thought he owned this role. Very interested in other future projects that could let him really sink his teeth into the character the way he did here. Great work by Paxton and Russo, as well.

Paxton was fucking awesome imo. Made me think of a washed up form of Bill from Twister. I love his character.

 

[AlexMogil]

I just sat and watched this with my wife. The ending of this movie feels like a reshoot. Everything from the end of the chase scene felt like they rewrote the story. I mean when Rene and Jake were at the station looking at the footage he filmed of the shootout you could see the effect through their hair!

It's like they had this huge potential of either catching him or having him weasel his way out of blame and they chose to just let him skip out of the precinct and buy some vans.

"You murdered them!" "Nah, bye!"

Ten more minutes at the end would have done so much.

 

[Aquavelvaman]

Man this movie was tense. Gyllenhaal was great. I recently caught "It Follows" and found this movie to be way more unsettling to watch (I liked both a lot).

Interesting to compare the two films. Both are shot almost all during the hazy twilight/dusk hours, have the same kind of close-to-the-street view of their cities and have a strong voyeuristic through line, especially cinematographically.

I agree that the ending was undercooked. I think that the main theme of the story

Spoiler

was how being a sociopath/psychopath made Lou a successful businessman. So, it seems like they let him get away with everything to kind of drive that point home. It's a kind of teardown of the idea of being an entrepreneur, with Lou literally using the bodies of his friends and competitors as stepping stones to get ahead. It still seemed like not quite enough and could have used another writing or editing pass.

 

[IISANDERII]

Disillusionment and the death of the American Dream has been done many times before, but Nightcrawler shines because it shows what the new American Dream has evolved into. It's brutal, single minded, cruel, heartless.

What an excellent film.

 

[GiantEnemyGoomba]

I was pretty excited about watching this last night when I heard from someone that it was on Netflix. Sadly, it was not on there

I'm too lazy to look right now but I think it's being added the 10th. Can't wait to rewatch it. Jake's performance (worse Oscar snub last year I think), the gorgeous cinematography, and the final chase scene were godlike. Whiplash, Birdman, and this were my three favorite movies last year.

 

[Ether_Snake]

I thought Riz Ahmed was probably even better than Jake in this.

Anyway I liked the movie, but it feels like a lot was left out, or else it was poorly thought out. The ending is appropriate for a comedy, this movie is not a comedy nor satire (only the trailer was made to make it look this way for commercial reasons). It builds up so that eventually things would catch up to the character, but then it just ends on a "funny" note. The tension between him trying to control the news lady director lead to nothing, instead she just ends up marveling at him at the end, which is the opposite of what was being built up since the scene where notices the blood on him. And the police investigation was also completely pointless, other than to try and keep the movie grounded in a certain level of believability.

I think for a two hour movie, it really missed its chance. It should have played up his kleptomania, the impact of his sociopath attitude, etc., but instead it stealthily focuses on him building up his company, so it ends as if it's just telling us "business owners are really sociopath, I read an article about it". Most of the movie's weaknesses revolve around the business aspect, which is really forced.

So still a good movie, but really disappointing for what it presented itself as.

 

[inm8num2]

Interesting compare/contrast between Nightcrawler and Man Bites Dog

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mor0l6mHb44

 

[triplestation]

Oscars are rigged

It's just a Daniel day Lewis search engine