Jake Gyllenhaal portrays an unlikeable and possibly psychopathic small time thief, Lou Bloom. Lou has big dreams beyond his current place in life, and tries and fails to pursue them. That all changes when he is driving home one night and comes across a fiery car crash. Lou stops and watches the crash. While he is watching, a group of people arrive with cameras and start filming the crash and the officers trying to rescue the driver. Striking up conversation with one of them, Joe Loder, Lou learns that they drive around Los Angeles at night filming horrific crimes and accidents and sell the footage to the news station that pays the most. The next night, Lou tries his hand at this voyeuristic form of crime journalism, and takes to it like a duck to water.

Nightcrawler is a dark and uncomfortable film, one that keeps viewers glued to the screen and unable to look away. Despite its grittiness and Lou’s slimy personality, Nightcrawler enthrals viewers. It’s like watching a train wreck, you just can’t look away. Lou’s offbeat charm and businessman adages sink their hooks into viewers and the characters who have the misfortune of meeting him. Despite being an unlikeable film, the combination of excellent writing, amazing acting and astounding cinematography and special effects will have viewers raving about Nightcrawler.

Tom Hardy plays construction foreman Ivan Locke. Almost the entire film takes place within a BMW X5. And, like the X5’s appearance & handling, Hardy is just as brilliant. Ivan Locke has a few issues to deal with during the course of his drive from Birmingham to London. His one night stand with colleague Bethan, seven months ago, has resulted in a premature labour and is the reason for his diversion to London on this fateful night.

Locke makes several phone calls during the drive to London. He has to supervise a concrete pour for a major construction project the next day in Birmingham, which entails phone calls with his boss as well as a colleague. There is a call to his wife and his son to discuss his relationship with his colleague Bethan. There are calls to Bethan to reassure her during labour.

A man in a car making phone calls to make amends to his various relationships, trying to save his job and trying to do the right thing may sound simple enough. However this is a nail biting and riveting screenplay. In the hands of Director Steven Knight it is a story that is extremely well handled. Tom Hardy take a bow, for your mesmerising performance.