Distorting the Drive for Success: Dan Gilroy's Nightcrawler

Written by Anthony Watkins

Last week we looked at three recent directors who had successful debuts in directing a feature film. One of these was Dan Gilroy, who directed Nightcrawler (2013). The neo-noir thriller centers on a driven young man (Jake Gyllenhaal) who is desperate to climb the ladder to success in the current tough economic climate. In this article we’ll take a closer look at the extremely relevant themes the film presents, as well as Gyllenhaal’s physical and emotional transformation into his power hungry character, Lou Bloom.

The film starts out with Lou Bloom at the very bottom of the metaphorical “ladder," as he is no more than a petty thief. However, after he comes across a car accident while driving home one night, he becomes inspired to become a “stringer," or an individual who films accidents and/or crimes and sells them to news stations. Through manipulating the scenes and crossing physical and moral boundaries, Bloom is able to gradually climb the ladder of success. Ultimately, his twisted character and psychology end up representing far more than one individual. Director Dan Gilroy notes, “Lou’s character came from an awareness that I have that a lot of people under thirty—tens of millions of people statistically I think either can’t find employment or employment that’s piecemeal and they can’t really sustain themselves and I was very intrigued with the idea of a character coming out of that desperation” (Nightcrawler Blu-ray). Therefore, Gyllenhaal’s character acts a symbol of the current generation Y that is out seeking employment in the tough economic world. Of course, many would not go to some of the extremes that Lou Bloom goes to in the film, but his mentality, coupled with his unnerving drive for success is something that is hard-wired into nearly every person trying to find a way to make a living. 

Jake Gyllenhaal, who in recent years has become more of a “method” actor, transformed himself both physically and mentally to prepare for his dark character. He notes, “I prepped over two months losing weight, staying up at night and then sleeping during the day.” His co-star Rene Russo also notes, “He was starving to death—he wasn’t eating.” Gyllenhaal ended up losing about 25 pounds for the role, producing an eerie gaunt appearance. He based his power-hungry character off of a coyote, as he quotes, “Growing up in Los Angeles, I would see a coyote walking down the street and just stare at you. You know that it either just killed something or wanted to kill you. And I thought Lou was really a coyote.” His other co-star in the film, Riz Ahmed, notes, “He just immersed himself in it. He’s basically gone, ‘This character is desperate and hungry.’ And he was. And that brings a lot of very primal, instinctive, predatory desperation in you—it does” (Nightcrawler Blu-ray).

In addition to losing 25 pounds for the role, Jake Gyllenhaal prepped for two months by going out with real-life "nightcrawlers" to get a firm grasp on the nature of the job. In this mirror sequence pictured above, Gyllenhaal became so immersed in the scene that he grabbed and shattered the mirror, cutting his hand on the glass and having to go to the hospital (IMDB). 

In the end, we are left to ponder on our own drive for success and ask how ours relates to or parallels Lou Boom’s. Whether we want to admit it or not, we all have a little bit of Lou Bloom in each of us—a sinful people who are naturally born to be envious and covet other people’s work and success. Each of us ends up setting our own moral boundaries, and it remains up to us if we cross these lines. 

WORKS CITED
Nightcrawler. Screenplay by Dan Gilroy. Dir. Dan Gilroy. Blu-ray. Bold Films, 2013.

IMDB. 2015. 09 Apr. 2015. <http://www.imdb.com>.