Nightcrawler - Review

If it bleeds, it leads

The motto takes on a whole new level with this film.

The Plot

Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal), a highly intelligent and meticulous individual, is looking for a job. And that comes to him when he encounters a "Nightcrawler" named Joe Loder (Bill Paxton), who introduces him to the world of freelance video journalism. Recruiting an assistant (Riz Ahmed), getting in good terms with a News Director (Rene Russo) and arming himself with the equipment he needs, Lou sets out to become the best Nightcrawler in the business.

Review

I am late to the game in watching this movie. I had to wait to buy the Blu Ray in order to watch it. And I'm so glad I did. First time director, Dan Gilory, definitely created one hell of a feature film debut with this great examination on the shady business of "Nightcrawling." It also helps that he is an incredible screenwriter, because the script is crisp and easily avoids the easy way out of things when it comes to characterizations and plot points. But none of that would've mattered if the wrong person was casted in the role of Lou Bloom. And we should be thankful that Jake Gyllenhaal IS Lou Bloom.

Gyllenhaal completely transforms into the strangest, yet most efficient, person you'll ever meet. Lou is the very definition of a sociopath. He is completely removed from morals and only views things in quantifiable measurements that shape the reality he sees. And it is a reality that in the end is a very true one. The character of Lou may come off as a horrible individual due to his actions, but what makes him strangely likable and appealing is not just his efficiency, but the way he speaks. There is definitely something unhinged about the way he talks, but it isn't noticeable until he starts talking blackmail. The most difficult roles to play, are the ones where the main characters are inherently evil due to moral standards, but are in some ways extremely likable. He is a guy who is having a hard time finding a job (many can relate to that) and when he finds something he can do, he makes sure he is the best at it (something we can all aspire to). But there is no denying that his lack of morals in order for efficiency does make him a terrible person. And it is  electrifying to watch on screen.

Lou's enablers are pretty much the most relatable characters in the film, but what makes both of them wrong is that they are what they: enablers. Lou's employee, Rick, played by Riz Ahmed is definitely the only one who has a moral compass. But because of his disposition of being an individual who doesn't really have many options in life, it easily makes him someone who is not just an enabler but a follower as well. While this could easily be a weak role, it is a testament to Ahmed for making his character not appear to be too weak, just morally conflicted. Then there is Nina, the News Director played by Rene Russo, who is driven to give her channel high ratings with horrifying yet well composed images. And luckily for her, Lou is capable of delivering those things. Russo does a great job of playing someone who initially comes off as being amoral as Lou, but then her morals resurface on the discovery of just how sociopathic he really is. Both of them play such key roles in helping us explore Lou's personality and help us understand just how far all of these individuals are willing to go in order to achieve success. And although his role was a small one, Bill Paxton definitely played a key role in jump starting this whole experience.

But the core of the film is an examination of the long used journalism slogan: "If it bleeds, it leads." This film takes an interesting look in how exactly news stations get their hands on "exclusive" footage in order to draw ratings. Having studied TV and film, as well as worked in a control room before, I know exactly how all this goes on. So it is no surprise to me that what these people do can be considered amoral, especially if someone like Lou is working on the job. But what Gilroy did so masterfully well is not beating it over the head that this is morally wrong. Well maybe he does do it at the end, but by that point it is earned by showing us pretty normal things that we see on the news prior to that point. Especially given its noir and thriller look will set this film apart from others that try to deliver a message. Because the key that Gilroy seems to understand is that the message has to be formulated by the audience, while the story is king.

Final Thoughts

I couldn't do my top 10 list of best films of the year of 2014 because I could never watch all the films I wanted to see for that year. And if I was able to do so, this definitely would've been in the Top 5. Nighcrawler is an incredible thriller about how far is too far in the world of news that doesn't come off as a preachy look on the morality of the media. Instead what we get is an incredible story with a great knockout performance by Jake Gyllenhaal as the ever efficient Lou Bloom. This is definitely one of the best films of 2014.

SCORE: 9/10 - A riveting thriller with an incredible performance by Jake Gyllenhaal

Party 7 - Analysis and Review

Don't judge a movie by its cover

This is definitely one of those cases. I mean, just look at that cover. That could be anything. It literally could be anything. I can guarantee that someone who is unaware of the indie Japanese film scene would definitely think that this is the poster for an Asian Porno! I mean, come on who wouldn't think that this looks like a porno. But that's just the cover. And why do I say don't judge a movie by its cover? Because by some miracle, the actress on this cover never appears in that outfit in the film. I'm being serious. Not once does she strip down into that number. In the film she's conservatively dressed...okay so her abs are showing but she's pretty much mostly covered. But back to the point, just by looking at this cover, what the hell is this movie about???

The answer...may be a little bit weird. And as an American, the view of weird films from Japan is actually not shocking, but we're still shocked. However I wouldn't call this film shocking nor confusing, but rather...head scratching? Yeah, I'll call it a head scratcher.

The Plot

A gangster steals money from his boss. A man he sees as a brother is charged with finding him. His ex-girlfriend demands payment for all his debts. Her new boyfriend is afraid she's leaving him. A peeping tom discovers a secret lair. In that lair is the mysterious Captain Banana. A psychotic hitman plans on eliminating the gangster. And all of this takes place in a hotel! Who will come out rich?

Analysis

If you find yourself confused by that, it's okay, I was confused too. But all in all the plot is about a string of interesting characters that converge in a hotel room. The best way to describe is fairly simplistic but for an American audience to understand it has to be said this way: It is a collection of Anime Characters thrown into a Tarantino style story.

Each character is an archetype of an anime character. The cocky laid back protagonist. The badass rival. The sexy criminal. The lovesick nerd. The pervert. The costumed hero. The psycho clown. All of them are characters that can fall easily into an anime archetype. It should be more evident due to the anime opening title sequence.

I should point out that how I discovered this film was through an anime. I was a huge fan of the 2009 anime film, Redline, that was frequently touted as the first full hand drawn anime in a long time. It was a visual spectacle that shows just how far hand drawn animation can be pushed without the aide of cell shaded CGI. The director of that film was Takeshi Koike, and I wanted to find out more about this ambitious director. That's how I discovered this gem. He wasn't the director of the film, but he was the creator of the aforementioned anime title sequence. The chair of director actually belonged to the man who gave Takeshi the story for Redline: Katsuhito Ishii.

Review

As I've said before, this is an unusual film. The setting is very standard. In fact there are several American low budget films that dominantly take place at a hotel or even a single hotel room. What the film has going for it though are a cast of really interesting characters. You got Shunichiro Miki (Masatoshi Nagase) the pompadour gangster with a pink leather jacket. Shingo Sonoda (Keisuke Horibe) the badass (or at least he thought so) clad in black gangster who grew up with Miki. Kana Mitsukoshi (Akemi Kobyashi aka the hottie on the cover) the ex-girlfriend of Miki. Todohei Todohira (Yoshinori Okada) Kana's new very nerdy boyfriend and fiancé. These four make up more a majority of the titular Party 7. Their plot in this story mainly consists of Miki stealing money from his former boss in order to leave a life of crime. Kana and Sonoda track him down to the hotel he's staying at for different reasons while Todohei arrives at the hotel simply because he was afraid Kana was cheating on him.

Their story consists mainly of conversations that reveal some hidden secret about themselves to everyone. And that's pretty much it. They talk and they reveal hidden secrets. The opening anime title sequence makes this movie seem like its going to be an action movie where all hell will break loose. But no, its just people talking and revealing secrets they didn't want to reveal. That's the A-Plot.

The B-Plot revolves around two peeping toms: Captain Banana (Yoshio Harada) and Okita Souji (Tadanobu Asano). Okita is a recently released inmate who discovers that his father built a secret room in a hotel room specifically for peeping, which ironically is what got him in jail in the first place. It is there that he meets Captain Banana, a pro peeping tom pervert in a superhero outfit that wishes to make Okita his new sidekick. They spend a majority of the movie watching the A-Plot. And...That's what happens. They talk, and watch the A-Plot.

Then there is the final member of this titular Party 7. Wakagashi (Tatsuya Gashuin) the psychotic hitman who is hired to kill Miki and Sonoda to retrieve the stolen money. His badass action scene was mostly in the opening anime title sequence. He barely shows up in the film but makes himself prominent at the end of the film when the real action goes down. However that action, if choreographed better, could've been truly a funny end but it was funny because it was so horrible. I would've preferred if that final action scene was done as an anime due to how over exaggerated it would've been.

It really seems like there's nothing interesting here, but as I stated before, the CHARACTERS are what would keep one locked into watching this whole movie. The dialogue is interesting and does drive whatever plot it is trying to drive. Though halfway through you do wish something else would happen besides talking. Some might even wish that Kobyashi did strip down into the striking number she posed in for the cover just to add more visual. You just keep hoping for SOMETHING to happen. And when it does happen it is rather comical. Whether intended or not, it is very comical.

I can't really comment on the acting due to having only seen a few Japanese films but seeing a young Tadanobu Asano did caught me off guard. Some might remember him as being Hogun in Thor. I look forward to what his performance will be for legendary anime character Zenigata in the live action Lupin III film.

Final Thoughts

This movie is not for everyone. Especially if you're looking for action or hoping that Akemi Kobyashi does something sexy (the cover is the only thing you're going to get from her), then this movie is not for you. However if you want to see an interesting play of words among really weird characters being watched by two peeping toms that are all being hunted by a crazy hitman then this is for you. I enjoyed it, but again, its not for everyone. But a little curiosity doesn't hurt, right?

SCORE: 6.5/10 - A fairly entertaining Tarantino story starring Anime Characters