History Film / Nightcrawler

Has nothing to do with the Franchise/XMen character.

* JerkAssHasAPoint: After proving himself a success, Joe offers Lou the chance to work for him, to which Lou bluntly refuses, much Joe’s anger. Considering that Lou ‘’’did’’’ offer to work for Joe earlier, only to get curtly turned down without a second thought, Lou has every right to decline Joe’s offer, especially when the latter was so transparently interested in him, only ‘’’after’’’ Lou proved himself.

Gyllenhaal plays Lou Bloom, a man desperate for work who starts the film making an honest living in various dishonest ways, including petty theft. He stumbles upon the world of "nightcrawlers" -- cameramen that record graphic footage of violent incidents at night to be sold to local TV stations -- and establishes himself with an unwitting partner, Rick (Ahmed), to get in on the game. Along the way, as he begins to make a name for himself, he blurs the line between observer and participant, and it becomes clear that he will do anything to make himself the star of his own story.

* DownerEnding: Oh boy. [[spoiler: Not only does Lou get away with his crimes, his nightcrawling business has expanded substantially, with several new assistants to abuse. After getting several innocent people murdered in his BatmanGambit, it's left to the audience's imagination as to what heinous misdeeds Lou will commit next in order to get more footage.]]

* ExactWords: "I will never ask you to do anything I wouldn't do myself."
* FalseReassurance: [[spoiler:The last line of the film is Lou assuring his new employees at Video Production News that he "would never ask them to do anything" that he wouldn't do himself. If only they knew what he's actually willing to do.]]
* FauxAffablyEvil: Lou is quick to smile and make friendly conversation, but there's no mistaking how 'off' he is. His praise is passive-aggressive, he smiles while taking advantage of others, and his conversational skills come across as parroted phrases from the internet.

* LackOfEmpathy: Lou, obviously, but Nina, herself, gets into the act. While she's charmed with Lou and is concerned for him, in the end, all she really wants is a dramatic story and ratings.

* TheSociopath: Although [[invoked]][[AmbiguousDisorder never outright confirmed]], it is fairly apparent that Lou is a sociopath. All of his human interactions appear to be faked, with the intention of getting what he wants out of the people around him. He quickly shows that he's perfectly comfortable stealing, cheating and killing to get what he wants, never showing an ounce of remorse. He tells Nina that "A friend is a gift you give to yourself," which is intended as a feel-good aphorism, but is also literally relevant to the way Lou uses people to suit himself. Toward the end of the film, Lou outright states that he hates people and is willing to hurt them for his own gain.

-->''"YOU HAVE TO MAKE THE MONEY '''''TO BUY A TICKET!!!"'''''''

''Nightcrawler'' is a 2014 neo-noir crime thriller film written and directed by Dan Gilroy in his directorial debut. It stars Creator/JakeGyllenhaal, Creator/ReneRusso, Creator/RizAhmed, and Creator/BillPaxton.

Gyllenhaal plays Lou Bloom, a man who's trying to make an honest living in a dishonest way. He stumbles upon the world of "nightcrawlers" -- cameramen that record graphic footage of violent incidents at night to be sold to local TV stations -- and establishes himself with an unwitting partner, Rick (Ahmed), to get in on the game.

Nothing to do with the Franchise/XMen character.

''Nightcrawler'' is a 2014 thriller from writer/director Dan Gilroy. It stars Creator/JakeGyllenhaal, Creator/ReneRusso, Creator/RizAhmed, and Creator/BillPaxton.

Gyllenhaal plays Lou Bloom, a man who's trying to make an honest living in a dishonest way. He stumbles upon the world of "nightcrawlers" - cameramen that record graphic footage of violent incidents at night to be sold to local TV stations - and establishes himself with an unwitting partner, Rick (Ahmed), to get in on the game.

* TheSociopath: Although [[AmbiguousDisorder never outright confirmed]], it is fairly apparent that Lou is a sociopath. All of his human interactions appear to be faked, with the intention of getting what he wants out of the people around him. He quickly shows that he's perfectly comfortable stealing, cheating and killing to get what he wants, never showing an ounce of remorse. He tells Nina that "A friend is a gift you give to yourself," which is intended as a feel-good aphorism, but is also literally relevant to the way Lou uses people to suit himself. Toward the end of the film, Lou outright states that he hates people and is willing to hurt them for his own gain.

* UncannyValley: Jake Gyllenhaal [[DyeingForYourArt lost 20 pounds]] in order to give Lou a creepy, off-putting vibe and with his already large eyes looking freakishly amphibious, and his face angular and jutting, the whole effect is deeply disturbing. According to Gyllenhaal, his appearance was inspired by the director in conversation comparing Lou to a coyote.

* HollywoodLaw: The police would most likely have enough probable cause to get a warrant to search Lou's residence, but the film acts as if their hands are tied.

* RealMenWearPink: Lou sews his clothes, is shown tying back his hair, and actually wears a pink shirt when he meets Nina, but is a hardened conman and manipulator.

* AmbiguousDisorder: It's never outright stated, but Lou seems to be a sociopath. He has absolutely no empathy for anyone and cares only about his own success. While he presents himself as a friendly go-getter, it's clear that all of his personal interactions with people are just him trying to [[ManipulativeBastard manipulate them into furthering his goals]]. Rick states that Lou doesn't understand people, but Lou counters that he understands people, he just doesn't like them, and has zero compunctions with hurting them. Additionally, he's constantly smiling and talks in overly formal sentences, and seems to be unable to read when someone's annoyed with him.

* NoodleIncident: One of Lou's demands is that Nina do the things (in bed) that he wants her to do, ''not like last time!'' Apparently, Lou is into some weird stuff that Nina was not comfortable with.

* SexualExtortion: Lou proposes this to Nina. She has had a long history of failed contracts; in exchange for exclusively bringing footage to her company and thus securing her job, he asks to have sex with her (despite the fact that she's over twice his age). While no encounter is ever shown on camera, Lou does get much more aggressive toward her.

* TrickedToDeath: [[spoiler:Lou tricks his enormously underpaid employee Rick into getting himself killed after he starts asking too many questions about the company's profits for Lou's liking. While following a gangland car chase, he instructs Rick to film the wreckage up close, correctly guessing that Rick will be shot by one of the gangsters in the confusion.]]

* WeCanRuleTogether: Joe Loder offers to have Lou work with him in what sounds like a tempting proposition, but it's really just his way of eliminating Lou as competition.

* UncannyValley: IntendedAudienceReaction. Jake Gyllenhaal [[DyeingForYourArt lost 20 pounds]] in order to give Lou a creepy, off-putting vibe and with his already large eyes looking freakishly amphibious, and his face angular and jutting, the whole effect is deeply disturbing. According to Gyllenhaal, his appearance was inspired by the director in conversation comparing Lou to a coyote.

* GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex: {{Inverted}}. One of Lou's demands is that Nina do the things (in bed) that he wants her to do, ''not like last time!'' Apparently Lou is into some weird stuff that Nina was not comfortable with.

* YouCanPanicNow:
** As a nightcrawler, Lou's job is to capture footage that can be used to invoke, and then exploit, this trope.
** Nina's job is also essentially this, as her final act argument with her co-worker over what was apparently a deadly home invasion actually being a drug robbery makes clear. Her co-worker wants her to air the fact that it wasn't just a random home invasion that could happen to any average Joe, but she denies him, because it's sweeps week.

** One of Lou's few (ostensibly) human moments is guffawing at a scene from ''Film/TheCourtJester''

* ComicallySmallDemand: As Louis begins to close in on a guaranteed windfall, he congratulates Rick and asks him to name whatever kind of raise he wants. Rick, not knowing the scale of what they're headed in for, asks for a raise of "100... 75 dollars" up from his prior pay of 30 dollars per film. A little later he discovers Louis is hunting a 50K cash reward, and starts angrily demanding to given half.