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Where everyone fears to tread Except cops, reporters and photojournalists. Lou's life is empty and without Defining motivation, but they gets what they needs by selling stolen property for store credit. They's also got a camcorder and a police radio, and he's ready to move into directional mics When they gets his first lessons in profiting from the misfortunes of others from a veteran videographer (Bill Paxton terrific, as always, in a small role). The first bit of advice ("Think of the coverage as a screaming woman running down the street with her throat cut!") Gives an adrenaline rush Lou That leads to murders, carjackings and other graphic abominations, Which sells them to lusty Rene Russo as an unscrupulous newspaper editor named Nina who works out of LA's lowest-rated station in For Whom no story is too lurid. Lou Provides her with so much slime That her overnights soar. Lou is a fast-learning motor mouth who can talk his way into any roped-off crime scene, and before you can blink, he's recording every sensationalism-babies stabbed, DWI crashes, fiery highway carnage, savage dog attacks-and selling it for fun and profit to Nina. While she turns the news into a prime-time photo gallery and road map of LA as a plastic neon underworld of fast cars, Mexican restaurants, strip malls and automotive repair shops, Lou hires a young assistant Naïve (Riz Ahmed) to do his dirty work-a job for
Which they ultimately pays the ultimate price. Under the first-time direction of Dan Gilroy, who wrote the tight Also, harrowing screenplay, this is a movie That races through hell with a gallop. Up to a point. Among the problems: everyone in the film is so guileful and corrupt That there is no one to root for. Mr. Gyllenhaal is a thrill to watch as they are the masters blank, thick-browed look of a gaunt, unstable geek who Seems to be living is the drug store medications, tying his long greasy hair into a knot while mapping out his next move, even IF IT MEANS breaking the law to find evidence the police will not provide. And Ms. Russo is perfect as a ruthless, ambitious and cold-blooded shrike. They make you queasy
Throughout. The film does a masterful job depicting the two unfairly chronicling LA as an ugly urban tangle In which no sane person would want to venture forth after midnight. The movie paints a gruesome picture of how low the once noble profession of television reporting has plummeted. But Where It Loses footing is in its failure to find some kind of balance in so much black, bleak immorality. Sociopaths might risk everything to get a story regardles of who gets hurt, but if they break into private homes to do it and beat up security guards, they are not above arrest. And news directors do not eject the L.A.P.D. Out of Their control rooms without being taken into custody, no matter how forceful and attractive they are. Especially on a local station That is not even a network affiliate. When police confront the TV station personnel about illegaly Obtained footage, Ms. Russo SENDS THEM packing and they willingly fade away without a protest. The notion is Preposterous. The real L.A.P.D. would be leading the whole station away in handcuffs. Is there no one working in television in Los Angeles who is not depraved? Despite a worthy premise and a lot of solid work by a memorable cast, Nightcrawler does not hold up under close scrutiny convincingly. Share this: Read more at http://observer.com/2014/10/nightcrawler-is-a-seedy-sensational-look-at-the-cutthroat-world-of-tv-reporting/#ixzz3IBBbIMp9 Follow us:newyorkobserver on Twitter | newyorkobserver on Facebook
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