Nightcrawler (2014)

UNKNOWN

Various

92%

2014, Drama/Crime, 1h 57m

RT Critics’ Score: 95% (UNBIASED)
RT Audience Score: 86%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
42 wins & 124 nominations total

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Critics Consensus

Restless, visually sleek, and powered by a lithe star performance from Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler offers dark, thought-provoking thrills.

Audience Consensus

Nightcrawler is a film that will leave you feeling like you need a shower, but in the best way possible. Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance as Louis Bloom is nothing short of mesmerizing, and the film’s scathing commentary on the world of television news is both unnerving and haunting. It’s a one-man show, with Gyllenhaal making the movie his own from the very beginning. If you’re looking for a gritty urban comedy noir that will keep you on the edge of your seat, Nightcrawler is the film for you. Just don’t forget to bring some hand sanitizer.

Storyline

NIGHTCRAWLER is a thriller set in the nocturnal underbelly of contemporary Los Angeles. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Lou Bloom, a driven young man desperate for work who discovers the high-speed world of L.A. crime journalism. Finding a group of freelance camera crews who film crashes, fires, murder and other mayhem, Lou muscles into the cut-throat, dangerous realm of nightcrawling – where each police siren wail equals a possible windfall and victims are converted into dollars and cents. Aided by Rene Russo as Nina, a veteran of the blood-sport that is local TV news, Lou blurs the line between observer and participant to become the star of his own story.

Production Company(ies)

Distributor
Open Road

Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)

Filming Location(s)
Chinatown Express – 252 S Western Ave, Los Angeles, California, USA

MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for violence including graphic images, and for language

Year of Release
2014

Technical Specs

Color:

Color
Sound mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat
Aspect ratio:

2.35 : 1
Runtime:

1h 57m
Language(s):

English
Country of origin:

United States
Release date:

Release Date (Theaters): Oct 31, 2014 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 10, 2015

Genre(s)
Drama/Crime

Keyword(s)
starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Bill Paxton, Riz Ahmed, Ann Cusack, Kevin Rahm, directed by Dan Gilroy, written by Dan Gilroy, produced by Michel Litvak, Jake Gyllenhaal, David Lancaster, Jennifer Fox, Tony Gilroy, drama, crime, mystery, thriller, R-rated, box office gross $32.4M, reviewed by Dwight Brown, Emily St James, Joe Williams, Kate Erbland, Nigel Andrews, Scott Marks, Danilo Castro, Matt Brunson, Cory Woodroof, Jason Adams, Alex Bentley, Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance, media commentary, lack of empathy, Los Angeles, cameraman, police scanner, shocking crimes, news director, ratings, violence, graphic images, language, Datasat, Dolby Digital

Box Office Details

Worldwide gross: $47,398,992
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $59,236,759
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,263
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 6,459,843

US/Canada gross: $32,381,217
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $40,468,336
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,161
US/Canada opening weekend: $10,441,000
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $13,048,611
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 857

Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $8,500,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $10,622,851
Production budget ranking: 1,645
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $5,720,405
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $42,893,502
ROI to date (est.): 262%
ROI ranking: 512

Cast & Crew

Jake Gyllenhaal

Rene Russo

Bill Paxton

Riz Ahmed

Ann Cusack

Louis Bloom

Nina

Joe Loder

Rick

Linda

Jake Gyllenhaal – Louis Bloom
Rene Russo – Nina
Bill Paxton – Joe Loder
Riz Ahmed – Rick
Ann Cusack – Linda
Kevin Rahm – Frank Kruse

Dan Gilroy

Michel Litvak

Jake Gyllenhaal

David Lancaster

Director

Writer

Producer

Director(s)
Dan Gilroy

Writer(s)
Dan Gilroy

Producer(s)
Michel Litvak, Jake Gyllenhaal, David Lancaster, Jennifer Fox, Tony Gilroy

Film Festivals
Toronto

Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
42 wins & 124 nominations total

Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees

Top Reviews

Dwight Brown

Emily St. James

Joe Williams

Kate Erbland

Nigel Andrews

National Newspaper Publishers Association

Vox

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Film School Rejects

Financial Times

NIGHTCRAWLER
All Critics (277) | Top Critics (74) | Fresh (263) | Rotten (14)
Intriguing, unnerving and haunting.

March 7, 2017

Dwight Brown
National Newspaper Publishers Association
TOP CRITIC
Nightcrawler, on its surface, is a relatively straightforward thriller, built around a slightly improbable but very effective main character, a man who starts as an antihero and plunges straight ahead toward villainy.

September 26, 2016

Emily St. James
Vox
TOP CRITIC
Like an alternate version of Network in which Faye Dunaway cannibalizes the conscientious William Holden character, Nightcrawler cleverly dispenses with any debate about the tyranny of ratings and the erosion of privacy.

January 4, 2015 | Rating: 3.5/4

Joe Williams
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
TOP CRITIC
Make no mistake, Nightcrawler is a major work for everyone involved.

January 4, 2015 | Rating: A

Kate Erbland
Film School Rejects
TOP CRITIC
Filmmaker Gilroy, brother to Tony (of the darkly marvellous Michael Clayton), makes every cinematic second count. If you blink you miss a tell-tale reaction shot, a vital visual plot clue, or a brilliant cut-in.

January 4, 2015

Nigel Andrews
Financial Times
TOP CRITIC
A gritty urban comedy noir, a scathing, Network-worthy disembowelment of television newsgatherers that will leave you craving a shower.

January 4, 2015 | Rating: 5/5

Scott Marks
San Diego Reader
TOP CRITIC
Nightcrawler is simply one of the best crime films of the 2010s.

May 17, 2022 | Rating: 8/10

Danilo Castro
Next Best Picture
In a knockout performance, Jake Gyllenhaal plays Louis Bloom, the type of guy who would not only sell his own mother but would chop her up into tiny pieces to facilitate the transaction.

April 10, 2022 | Rating: 3/4

Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
Nightcrawler can be a hard film to stomach at times, but its message is sound. Outside of the strong craftsmanship, the film is a scarily magnetic character study of a guy who dreamed the American Dream in the absolute worst way possible.

February 11, 2022

Cory Woodroof
Williamson Home Page
A razor’s edge satire you’ll be so busy being enthralled by you won’t even notice the adrenaline shot of righteous anger being shot straight into your veins

January 10, 2022

Jason Adams
My New Plaid Pants
There are a number of factors that contribute to the success of Nightcrawler … but if ever a film were a one-man show, it is this one, as Gyllenhaal makes the movie his own from minute one.

September 2, 2021

Alex Bentley
CultureMap
Jake Gyllenhaal’s transformation deserves an Oscar in one of this year’s best films…

May 26, 2021 | Rating: 5/5

Dan Brightmore
NME…

Plot
NIGHTCRAWLER is a thriller set in the nocturnal underbelly of contemporary Los Angeles. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Lou Bloom, a driven young man desperate for work who discovers the high-speed world of L.A. crime journalism. Finding a group of freelance camera crews who film crashes, fires, murder and other mayhem, Lou muscles into the cut-throat, dangerous realm of nightcrawling – where each police siren wail equals a possible windfall and victims are converted into dollars and cents. Aided by Rene Russo as Nina, a veteran of the blood-sport that is local TV news, Lou blurs the line between observer and participant to become the star of his own story.

Trivia