Jake Gyllenhaal unfurls creepy wings as Lou Bloom, a determined vulture ready to feather his own nest in the shade of the American Dream.

Lou’s maniac eyes share the same greedy glint as his hungry camera. Together they slither through Gilroy’s corrupted vision of LA, ready to scoop up whatever chaotic goo crime has left behind.

Although it is a vampiric news station that truly abets Lou’s crazed ambitions, life reflects art as we join the hypnotised spectators; guzzling down his grisly exclusives.

This is Nightcrawler’s most twisted triumph: blackmailing its audience into compliance with fizzing packets of pure adrenaline.

Gyllenhaal is Nightcrawler’s battery; his creation, cooked from the greasy rinds of Jordan Belfort et al., saturates every frame with a queasy intensity. While everything else is sure to carry a shiv of satire in its pockets, nothing quite matches this central powerhouse performance.

RATING: 4/5

INFORMATION

CAST: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Bill Paxton, Riz Ahmed

DIRECTOR: Dan Gilroy

WRITERS: Dan Gilroy

SYNOPSIS: When Lou Bloom, a driven man desperate for work, muscles into the world of L.A. crime journalism, he blurs the line between observer and participant to become the star of his own story. Aiding him in his effort is Nina, a TV news veteran.