Nightcrawler

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, & Bill Paxton

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

There was a huge buzz on the internet about this film, because of Jake Gyllenhaal's outstanding performance, but a great performance doesn't always make for a great film. Louis Bloom (Gyllenhaal) is down on his luck, he drives an old car, lives in an disgusting apartment, and doesn't have a job. He drives around at night looking for ways to earn money, when he comes across a film crew taping a crime scene. It seems like easy money, so Bloom goes out, gets a camera, and starts filming the police himself, only, he doesn't follow the same rules that the others do. I will not dispute that Gyllenhaal was terrific, but his character was beyond annoying. Louis Bloom is this O.C.D. guy, who is constantly rambling and talking to himself, something that basically ruins the whole film. This guy gets so annoying it's to the point of frustrating. On top of that, it takes a long time for anything substantial to happen. I was really looking forward to seeing this film and was impressed by how far Jake Gyllenhaal has come, but despite it's looming cult classic label, I found this film to just be one frustrating scene after another. Critics are willing to give films like this four stars and tell you it's a must see, because of an Oscar worthy performance, but what's really the point of seeing something that most people aren't going to want to sit through? Similar to Citizen Kane, it's got a great reputation, but don't let that fool you, this is one of the most nerve racking films I've ever sat through and to be honest, I'm sorry I did.