Almost There: Jake Gyllenhaal in "Nightcrawler"
Monday, August 31, 2020 at 10:00PM 
For the past decade or so, Jake Gyllenhaal has been on the cusp of a second Oscar nomination. At least, that's what it seems like when one takes a look at his career. Instead of coasting by on his good looks and innate charisma, Gyllenhaal is always up for a challenge, be it a physical transformation or some unlikely feat of tonal somersaulting. Still, regardless of critical acclaim, that second nod remains elusive with 2014's Nightcrawler being the closest the actor ever came to reconquering the good graces of AMPAS...
In Dan Gilroy's directorial debut, Jake Gyllenhaal plays Louis "Lou" Bloom, a con man with no scruples, a huckster with vampiric ambition. We meet him in the darkness of a Los Angeles night, trespassing when he's confronted by a security guard with a nice watch. As a flashlight illuminates his face, what we see isn't the usual beauty we tend to associate with this actor, but a gaunt mask with bugged-out eyes and a hyperactive mouth always ready to slash a fake smile across the face. This is no matinée idol, but a ghoul who pounces on his prey the minute he gets the chance, stealing the guard's watch along the way.
What follows is Lou's nightly routine, a sales pitch to rid himself of stolen wares and the act of hunting for a new job. The owner of the scrap yard he approaches is wise enough to see through this sociopath's grinning façade. Unlike other, more unfortunate people later in the story, he refuses Lou's offer. That moment, when his would-be employer looks away from Lou after denying him a job, is one of Gyllenhaal's most chilling scenes. His face practically melts off the skull, losing all affectation in a moment of genuine fury. Before we know it, the salesman's smile is back in place, but the harm is done. We've already seen the monster.
Throughout Nightcrawler, the audience grows used to seeing Lou putting on a show of manic professionalism. Because of that, when he temporarily lets the mask slip, it's startling and unnerving, akin to the vision of a snake with a human face. Such occurrence and the denial of a new job are no step-back in Lou's professional plans, however. Before the night is over, he finds a new vocation in the business of recording gruesome accidents and bloody crime scenes for local news stations. The scent of tragedy compels him like blood attracts a hound.
And, just like that, he becomes a nightcrawler, a freelance photojournalist who traverses through the city in search of some lurid imagery. A vulture making money out of pain, Lou becomes acquainted with a ruthless news director, played by a never-better Rene Russo, and starts a perilous relationship of coerced intimacy and mutual amorality. He also hires an underpaid underling in the form of Riz Ahmed's Rick, the only main character in the entire film with a shred of decency. Things don't end well for him, as you might imagine.
The gist of the story is Taxi Driver meets Network, a screed against the bloodthirsty sensationalism of the media made through the character study of an irredeemable individual. Not that Lou is ever as relatable as Robert DeNiro's nihilistic Travis Bickle or Faye Dunaway's ferocious Diana Christensen. No matter how ignoble those creatures of New Hollywood Cinema may have been, they still came off as human. Lou Bloom, on the other hand, is never human but more like a mythic figure. He's the ideal of the self-made man stripped of capitalistic glamour to reveal the self-made monster underneath.
Fittingly, Gyllenhaal performs the Lou as some sort of reptilian manifestation of primordial evil, all unblinking stares, mad curiosity, and beastly hunger.
Mechanically, the performance is a wonder of craftsmanship, the suggestion of inner pestilence through showy actorly tricks. First and foremost, there's that piercing gaze, two beacons of carnivorous curiosity always shining from the depths of Gyllenhaal's skull. Moreover, he never seems to react organically to his scene partners, disrespecting their personal space with naked aggression, and speaking over them whenever he can. As for the mouth that shapes Lou's vile words, it's an excited line of grotesque mushiness, contorting in exaggerated shapes that never seem truthful to the character's interiority.
Only rarely does he allow his entire face to catch up with Lou's clipped speech, which is overly articulated and methodical. In some regards, he sounds like an even more robotic and virulent version of Ben Shapiro. Lou often smiles with his mouth to punctuate words, but he rarely smiles with his eyes. When he does so, it's worse, for Lou's sincere glee is a demonic thing while his fake grins are a mere facsimile of human expression. The feeble attempt at personhood is still more comforting than the open void that is Lou Bloom.
In 2014, Jake Gyllenhaal got nominated for everything but the Oscar. He received the Globe, BAFTA, Critics Choice, and SAG nominations, but AMPAS ignored him in favor of five other men. Eddie Redmayne in The Theory of Everything won the Oscar and, going into nomination morning, he was pretty much locked alongside Michael Keaton in Birdman and Benedict Cumberbatch in The Imitation Game. Steve Carrell got plenty of precursor attention for Foxcatcher, though some of his gold came in the form of Best Supporting Actor nods. As for Bradley Cooper, American Sniper got little precursor buzz, in part because of its late December release. However, huge box office and critical acclaim upon its opening propelled the Clint Eastwood flick to surge at the right time to hit big with the Academy. In the end, Cooper's success was Gyllenhaal's demise.
Nightcrawler is newly available to stream on Netflix. You can also rent it from Amazon, Google Play, Youtube, and others.
Reader Comments (34)
I'd argue that Riz Ahmed was "almost there" too for Supporting Actor.
I loved this film!
Man, Jake was fucking evil in that film. I loved it.
I think this movie deserved more attention from the Academy, but maybe its bleak topic resulted in only a screenplay nomination. Gyllenhaal is really creepy and effective, Russo is quite wonderful in all her scenes and Ahmed is so likeable. Also the editing is perfect.
My top 5 actors of 2014:
1.Gyllenhaal
2.Keaton
3Cumberbatch
4.Carell
5.Fiennes
He could have take Cooper spot fair and square
That Best Actor list just looks SOOoooo wrong without him and without Ralph Fiennes that year.
Best Actor 2014 - or how voters view great acting as an "imitation game" over building indelible characters. Keaton was easily the best of the nominees. Gyllenhaal deserved to be nominated and Fiennes should've won.
What a performance that was - breathtaking!
But let's tell the truth. Alan Cumming made it better XD
@Nathaniel - I agree. I did an Instagram post about the Best Actor line up that year and for me the top five would have been in descending order 1. Fiennes 2. Gyllenhaal 3. Redmayne 4. Keaton 5. Cooper
If you take Gyllenhaal, Fiennes, and Oyelowo for their *right there* performances in Oscar-admired films, and throw in other actors who did great work that year like Brendan Gleeson in Calvary, Miles Teller in Whiplash (such a frighteningly physically committed performance), Timothy Spall in Mr. Turner, Tom Hardy in Locke or David Gulpilil for Charlie's Country, you could make a much better category out of snubbees than Oscar's eventual picks.
The 2014 lineup if Oyelowo, Fiennes and Gyllenhaal had made it could've made an all time list. The nominees from that year are such a terribly boring list of nominees.
Yeah, Jake and Ralph shoulda been there.
Especially since I've been completely turned off by every thing I've seen him in since. Okja, Sack Lunch Bunch, Spider-Man, Velvet Buzzsaw... only THE SISTER BROTHERS worked for me. I'm not sure why he's so intent on playing a cartoon everywhere he goes, but it's only slightly above white bread action star playing Middle Eastern of directions that I least would have wanted him to go.
Redmayne and Cumberbatch were nominated due to being the Brit It boys of the moment that's now thankfully passed.
Russo was that year.
Fiennes should have won this not simply 'cos he was due but because from beginning to end he comits to Anderson's vision.
My favorite film that year, and what a performance. I'm not sure what my perfect Best Actor line-up would be for that year but it would include Jake G., Keaton, and Fiennes. Rene Russo was so good in that too, and I wish she'd been nominated as well.
he and Rene should have been nominated that year!
Wasn't this the year of Tom Hanks in Captain Phillips? I bet just a handful of votes separated fourth from eighth place. Brutally competitive.
@Michael R Hanks was in 2013 the year before
No that was 2013.
I think Tom Hanks was in the running the year before - in 2013 (won by aMatthew McC).
Such a frustrating year, yes. Cumberbatch and Redmayne have both always just annoyed me for some reason—Redmayne doubly so b/c of his I feel undeserved win for THEORY followed by an undeserved nom in '15 for THE DANISH GIRL (a lackluster film in general).
You are all correct. Both years were hugely competitive for Best Actor.
I'll say what I said on Michael's post about this film: it's more ACE IN THE HOLE meets TAXI DRIVER than NETWORK.
Also, as memorable as Gyllenhaal is here, I wouldn't have been able to make room for him in that stacked year. Spall and Oyelowo should have both been in above him.
Even in Nightcrawler Gyllenhaal gives me a wet ass p-word.
Marty -- If he wasn't, he should have been.
Ben -- That's a great point about the Academy's love for acting as an "imitation game".
Glenn Dunks -- I'm a fan of his cartoony excess. It's rare to see such a mainstream American actor turning his back on performative realism in so obvious a manner. That being said, do you think he was similarly extra in WILDLIFE and STRONGER? I thought those were quite restrained performances compared to the rest of his recent output.
Jonathan -- Thematically I think you may be right. However, tonally speaking, I think the story's closer to NETWORK than the Billy Wilder classic. Spall's my winner for 2014, by the way, so I agree that, as good as Gyllenhaal was, he's still not the best of the year.
Thank you all for the feedback.
Gyllenhaal's face tells almost the entire tale, from start to finish.
It's still one of the most viscerally exciting showcases of hunger and ambition and that's before even he speaks a single word.
I hope he gets to bite into a role like this again, perhaps peering even more into madness.
So fucking good.
Jake G was disturbingly great in this film- do the Oscars hate him because he is beautiful and talented.
He was so great in this flick. Adding to the chorus the he, Fiennes and Oyelowo were snubbed for lesser contenders that year.
My Top 5 were 1. Gyllenhaal, 2. Redmayne 3. Christoph Walz - Big Eyes, 4. Pierre Deladonchamps - Stranger by the Lake, 5. Chadwick Boseman - Get On Up
Gyllenhaal was better than all other 4 combined, so it's little comfort that Redmayne went on to be nominated and win. I don't hold the Oscar-baity-ness against him, in fact, I think he and Felicity Jones elevate a film that would be undistinguished indeed without their wonderful performances. And since Deladonchamps had zero chance whatsoever, I would have raised my #6 Joaquin Phoenix for Inherent Vice to a nomination slot, had I been a member.
Gyllenhaal's omission really really hurt. I was so sure he would be nominated - I mean how could anyone who had seen the film not nominate him?, that for a couple of weeks I would subconsciously name him as my choice before reminding myself he wasn't even nominated!
If I could find him a spot in the lineup it would be at the expense of Steve Carell, who is excellent, but a SUPPORTING role, (where he was nominated for a BAFTA), and kick out Robert Duvall for his ridiculously undeserved nomination.
Cláudio, those films never came out in Australia as far as I am aware (at least not in anything beyond extremely limited) so I haven’t seen, although in the case of Stronger I had no interest to really seek it out (I know people here are fans, though).
Would love to see Jake play Bobby in a film adaptation of 'Company'.
WHAT A year !!! Gyllenhaals miss practically hurts !
My line up: Gyllenhaal, Redmayne, Fiennes, Cumberbatch, Oyelowo
I did not get Cooper that year at all ??? And I could also not really understand the buzz for Carell even though it was a fascinating story and figure...
- that said: Boseman was so fantastic in Get On Up and I loved Keatons work & comeback (but I was really somehow disappointed by the movie - though I lan to give it another try) - and I also loved Bill Murrays take in St. Vincent that year (he was far from a nom - but its a wonderful performance anyway)
Glenn Dunks -- I'd love to know what you think about those performances, but I get why you haven't seen them. Thanks for answering my comment in any case. Here in Portugal, Stronger was, thankfully, widely released, but Wildlife never got to theaters.
Ugh, he was my pick to win that year. What a performance. I was honestly so terrified of him.
@ Glenn, Wildlife even opened Melbourne Film Festival in 2018!
That list are of mostly industry satires and screwy fun.
The serious stuff have been onstage. And speaking of satire, he hinted that the main bargaining scene in Nightcrawler was inspired by watching a particularly vicious exec. Maybe he offended some VIP the way Tropic Thunder couldn't take down Weinstein.