Is Nightcrawler Based on a True Story? Check Out the Film Review
by Ushapriyanga
Updated Apr 29, 2023
Nightcrawler Info
Nightcrawler is a psychological thriller film released in 2014, directed and written by Dan Gilroy, who made his directorial debut with the film. The movie features Jake Gyllenhaal as Louis "Lou" Bloom, a stringer who records violent events during the late hours in Los Angeles and sells the footage to a local television news station. Rene Russo, Riz Ahmed, and Bill Paxton also appear in the film.
The film explores the complex relationship between unethical journalism and consumer demand, which is a recurring theme throughout the movie. Initially, Gilroy intended to make a film about the life of American photographer Weegee, but he changed the focus of the story after he discovered the unique narrative potential of the stringer profession.
He created Lou as an antihero, based on the ideas of unemployment and capitalism. Gyllenhaal played a crucial role in the film's production, from selecting crew members to reviewing audition tapes. The filming process lasted for four weeks and was a challenging experience, with over 80 locations used.
To promote the movie, Open Road Films used viral marketing strategies, such as a fictional video resume on Craigslist and fake social media profiles for Lou. Nightcrawler premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2014 and went on to gross $50.3 million on a production budget of $8.5 million.
Critics praised Gilroy's screenplay and the performances of Gyllenhaal and Russo, and the film was included in many critics' lists of the best films of 2014. It received several awards and nominations, including a Best Original Screenplay nomination at the 87th Academy Awards, and has since become a modern cult classic.
Is Nightcrawler Based on a True Story?
Although 'Nightcrawler' is not based on a true story, it is heavily influenced by real-life events. Director and writer Dan Gilroy was inspired by Weegee's photo-book Naked City, which contained scandalous photos of 1940s New York crime scenes. Weegee would listen to police scanners and rush to the scenes to sell his photos to tabloids, just like the film's protagonist Lou, a nightcrawler who hunts fresh crime scenes to sell footage to news channels.
Gilroy was fascinated by the world of nightcrawlers in Los Angeles, who drive fast cars and use advanced police scanners to locate crime scenes before anyone else. He used this as inspiration for his modern-day version of Weegee, Lou. Initially, Gilroy wrote Lou as a standard hero but later decided to make him an anti-hero, influenced by his research on conspiracies and murder mysteries.
He added layers to Lou's morally ambiguous character by drawing inspiration from modern-day notions of unemployment and capitalism. Although 'Nightcrawler' is not based on a true story, it is psychologically rich and narratively intense, and Jake Gyllenhaal's performance as Lou elevates the gripping neo-noir to new heights.
Nightcrawler Plot
Louis "Lou" Bloom is a petty thief who is caught stealing from a Los Angeles railyard by a security guard. He attacks the guard, steals his watch and leaves with stolen material. After selling the stolen material at a scrap yard, Lou asks for a job, but the foreman refuses to hire him as he is a thief.
On his way home, Lou witnesses a car accident and stops to watch. Stringers, who are freelance photojournalists, arrive and record two police officers rescuing a woman from the burning wreck. Joe Loder, one of the stringers, tells Lou that they sell their footage to local news stations.
Inspired, Lou steals a bicycle and pawns it for a camcorder and a police radio scanner. After two unsuccessful attempts at recording incidents, Lou records the aftermath of a fatal carjacking and sells the footage to KWLA 6. The morning news director, Nina Romina, tells him the station is especially interested in footage of "graphic" accidents and violent crime in affluent, predominantly white areas.
Lou hires Rick, a young homeless man desperate for money, as his assistant. To make his footage more compelling, Lou manipulates crime scenes, such as moving a body to get a better camera angle. As Lou's work gains popularity, he buys better equipment and a faster car.
Lou coerces Nina into a date, threatening to end their business relationship unless she has sex with him, and it is implied that she complies. Lou turns down an offer to work for Joe, but when Joe beats him to an important plane crash story, Nina demands that Lou obtain better footage and fulfill their agreement. In response, Lou sabotages Joe's van, causing Joe to be severely injured in a crash, and Lou records the aftermath.
Later, Lou and Rick arrive before the police at the scene of a triple-homicide home invasion in Granada Hills. Lou records footage of the gunmen leaving in their SUV and of the victims in the house. He later presents the footage to the station with the perpetrators edited out. The news staff debates the ethics of the footage, but Nina is eager to break the story.
In exchange for the footage, Lou demands public credit and more money. Police detective Frontieri visits Lou's apartment to question him about his involvement in the home invasion. Lou gives her edited footage of the incident, cutting out the parts with the gunmen.
That night, Lou and Rick follow the driver of the SUV to his house and wait until he leaves to pick up his partner. Lou wants to follow them to a crowded public area, call the police, and record the ensuing confrontation. Worried, Rick demands half the money Lou stands to make and threatens to tell the police about Lou's withholding of evidence. Lou agrees.
When the gunmen stop at a restaurant, Lou phones the police, warning them that the suspects are armed. The police arrive and exchange gunfire. One police officer is shot, and one of the killers is killed while the other escapes in the SUV. Lou and Rick follow the police chase and record it, which ends in a multiple-car collision.
After the gunman's SUV crashes, Lou approaches the vehicle, claiming that the gunman is dead and urging Rick to film him. The gunman is alive and shoots Rick before fleeing, and is eventually killed by arriving police officers. As Rick dies, Lou films him and tells him that he cannot work with someone who successfully extorted him for withholding evidence, as he knows it will happen again.
Nina is impressed by the chase footage and expresses her admiration for Lou. The news team discovers that the home invasion was actually the criminals breaking in to steal cocaine that the homeowners were hiding. Nina refuses to report this information to maximize the story's impact. The police try to confiscate Lou's footage
Nightcrawler Review
"Nightcrawler," a thriller by Dan Gilroy, depicts the story of an amateur cameraman who uses his skills to create a successful business by deceiving and manipulating others. Shot by Robert Elswit, Paul Thomas Anderson's regular cinematographer, the movie portrays a disturbed loner whose character is reminiscent of those in "Taxi Driver" and "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer."
Additionally, it's a media satire that takes the slogan "If it bleeds, it leads" to its logical extreme, much like "Network" and "To Die For." Despite its dark subject matter, the movie has elements of comedy.
The protagonist, Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal), is a man on the fringes of society who's seen attempting to steal scrap to earn some money. One night, while driving, he comes across a group of freelance cameramen filming a car wreck. After learning that they sell their footage to news stations, Lou decides to join the business and purchase a camera.
His new profession leads him to a struggling news station where he meets Nina Romina (Rene Russo), the news director who's desperate to improve the station's ratings. Despite having lost her idealism, she senses a kindred spirit in Lou, and the two form a partnership.
Nina instructs Lou to focus on crime in affluent, white neighborhoods since those stories generate the most interest. She even describes the ideal news image as "a screaming woman running down the street with her throat cut." The newscasters' warning of "extremely graphic images" is more of a lure than a warning.
The protagonist of Dan Gilroy's "Nightcrawler" is Lou Bloom, an amateur cameraman who turns his skill and nerve into a profitable business by deceiving and manipulating everyone in his way.
The movie, shot by Robert Elswit, is a thriller that uses a night vision filter to portray Lou's story, much like "Taxi Driver" and "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer." The film also satirizes the media, highlighting the infamous slogan, "If it bleeds, it leads," and exposing the horrifying outcome of such a mindset.
Lou is first seen trying to steal scrap from a chain-link fence before stumbling upon a group of freelance cameramen filming a car wreck. Intrigued by their work, Lou purchases a camera and starts chasing after the most sensational footage he can find.
He eventually meets Nina Romina, a news director who is desperate to improve her ratings and will do anything to get there. Lou feeds her footage that is bloodier and more graphic than the competition, and he even goes so far as to manipulate circumstances to create more violence and chaos.
Despite Lou's sick and twisted behavior, he initially comes across as personable and determined, with a Tom Cruise-like go-getter attitude. However, the film does not endorse his actions and is too focused on the anxiety and misery of the people he manipulates to validate his behavior. "Nightcrawler" is a darkly comedic, neo-noir thriller that provides a subtle editorial frame around Lou's story.
It is a better version of the Travis-Bickle-as-Superman fantasy "Drive" and could be described as the best film Michael Mann never made. It portrays a ruthless loner who relentlessly pursues his dream, leaving a trail of bloodstains behind him.
Is Nightcrawler Based on a True Story - FAQs
"Nightcrawler" is a thriller directed by Dan Gilroy about an amateur cameraman named Lou Bloom, who becomes successful by deceiving, manipulating, and exploiting everyone who stands in his way.
The movie stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Lou Bloom, Rene Russo as Nina Romina, and Riz Ahmed as Rick.
Lou Bloom is a disturbed, marginal loner who lives on the fringes and is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve his goals. He is a sociopath who manipulates everyone around him and is obsessed with capturing the most violent and graphic footage possible to sell to the news stations.
The movie has a darkly comedic, neo-noir, and night-people thriller tone.
"Nightcrawler" received critical acclaim and is considered a well-made movie. However, due to its dark subject matter, it may not be enjoyable for everyone.