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Brianna Urbina
COMM
We 2:30-5:30
Jowett 4370
25 November 2014
Nightcrawler
Nightcrawler is a 2014 film based on the efforts of a dedicated man desperate to find
work. In this film, Lou Bloom is a man who originally finds payment through the theft and
reselling of copper wire, fences and anything someone would be willing to buy from him. He
becomes motivated to get an actual job, but no one is willing to give him a chance. One night
Bloom comes across an accident and soon some men begin to arrive at the scene to record the
accident and later sell the footage to the highest paying news network. After his exposure to this
career path, Bloom begins his journey through the dangerous realm of nightcrawling. Lou Bloom
develops a business relationship with a news director of a local LA news network, Nina Romina
and finds success through impressing her with his footage. Eventually, Lou Bloom finds great
success after using any and every possible angle he could get, including sacrificing the life of
Rick, a man who he hired to work with him, crossing lines he should not, and lying to police
officers.
Nightcrawler has received many astonishing and positive reviews. The main thing that
has received the most applause by critics is the performance done by Jake Gyllenhaal. Many
critics have greatly praised Jake Gyllenhaal who plays the main character, Lou Bloom. Even
those who insult the film find themselves commending Gyllenhaal performance. His
performance is being greatly praised because his character is a very intense character. Lou

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Bloom has many sides to his personality that have to be portrayed in a specific manner and Jake
Gyllenhaal does a beautiful job. It has been claimed that Lou Bloom brings back to life the
character of Travis Bickle, from the famous film Taxi Driver, who was played by Robert De
Niro. The films gives the message that the news media feeds a morbid fascination with barbarity.
Critics feel so impressed by this film because it has so much more depth than most films of
today. This film opens audience members eyes to things that would not be noticed without
having being pointed out to them, which raises positive attention. This is because when watching
films, we expect to be solely entertained and not entertained and taught at the same time. It has
also been said by critics that the film has an effect on audience members that cause them to root
for Blooms success, while simultaneously fearing what Bloom may do next.
The 2000s of society in America have seen many changes. America continues to grow
and change every single day. On April 1st in 2010, the U.S. Census was conducted and found
9.7% increase in Americas population from the 2000 census. American citizens have elected
their first African American president Barack Obama, who also won the election for his second
term in office. There have been a multitude of technological advancements which have led to a
very privileged generation. The American people of the 2000s are drowned in technology. Once
citizens have hit a certain age, it is likely that they all have a cell phone or some sort of tablet or
music device. Americans have become extremely dependent on their electronic devices, which is
something that is new to America because electronic devices are now affordable and available to
the average American. This dependence can be easily seen as a very negative aspect of the
society in America during the 2000s. Although America has seen many changes, one thing has
not changed for America: War. War is still an occurrence in America at this time as well. There is
a war being fought in the Middle East. Along with the tragedy of war, America has also seen

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many catastrophes. These catastrophes include a bombing at the Boston Marathon, a shooting at
an elementary as well as a shooting at a movie theater. America has truly been exposed to many
devastating events that some may never recover from. These violent events are all happenings
that have led to the desensitization of Americans. The violent occurrences of everyday life that
show up on the news, have made violent and devastating movies more bearable than they may
have been at a previous point in time. Americans have become desensitized to aggression and
violence as a result of all of the technology around us as well as the many tragedies that
constantly occur.
Personally, I enjoyed Nightcrawler but it also freaked me out a little. I was freaked out by
the fact that the main character was so insensitive, he was basically a sociopath. Lou Bloom had
no regard for anyone but himself. He did not care who died, how they died, or why they died. All
he cared about was the money he could make off of peoples tragedies. This aspect of this film, I
did not enjoy. I am a very sympathetic person and I did not enjoy seeing that there can be a
person so self-focused that they literally did not care at all about the well-being of absolutely
anyone, no matter how well he knew them. Although, some may ignore this fact because it is just
a movie and the film was extremely well done. I truly believe that some people will have ignored
the insensitivity of the main character because it made for an incredibly captivating film. The
film was mostly done at night time because he worked at night, and this resulted in the film
being extremely suspenseful. If this film was made in a past time, I do not believe that it would
have even been allowed to play at theaters because of its intense content. The film does not
promote sympathy or even consideration for others. The film is made in a negative light that
viewers of a past generation would not approve of. The desensitization of Americans to violence

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through time has made it possible for this film to be viewed and enjoyed, but the message of the
film brings to light the horrors that Americans are being shown every day.

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References

"America's Best History - U.S. History Timeline 2010-Present." America's Best History. N.p., 2014.
Web. 25 Nov. 2014.
Lee, Ashley. "'Nightcrawler' Review: What the Critics Are Saying - Hollywood Reporter." The
Hollywood Reporter. The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Oct. 2014. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.