Nightcrawler

On the surface, director Dan Gilroy's feature debut is a state-of-the-nation address that uses California - with its lurid early-morning news reports covering car crashes, homicides and shoot-outs - as the rest of the USA in microcosm. However, at its heart, this dark and entertaining neo-noir is a fascinating character study, with a dramatically skinny Jake Gyllenhaal as its antihero, the smart, calculating and possibly sociopathic Louis Bloom. A loner searching for work, Bloom sees his chance when he spots a freelance news crew combing the streets of LA. Investing in a camera, he starts his own career as a video journalist, selling his wares to Nina (Rene Russo), manager of a local TV station. As Bloom's media empire takes off, ethics quickly fall by the wayside, and Nightcrawler begins to reveal itself as a modern morality tale. The nightmares that Bloom is selling are immaterial; what terrifies more is the cut-throat corporate culture that so willingly pays him - and pats him on the back.