My word. That Gyllenhaal fella can act, can't he?

Nightcrawler gives us a sociopath for our age. The age of media gluttony, fear mongering and wanton narcissism. Mr. Bloom can join ranks with and stand tall next to many other legendary screen psychos and look them dead in the eyes. With those horrific, empty unblinking eyes.

When Nightcrawler began and the opening act started to take shape I thought it would head in the direction of a dark satire. But every time Gilroy's camera served back to Bloom's freakishly intelligent and clinical gaze everything just felt too real to be a satire. A satire criticizes society and Nightcrawler doesn't really do that. It shows us an element of society as it is. Without critique, through the eyes of a singularly unique opportunist. The negotiations about news footage, the obtrusiveness of the camera, the glamorizing of crime in the news, it all happens on a daily basis. It's a part of life and Nightcrawler, like its protagonist, merely observes from the sidelines.

But what is it then? To me, it is an exploration of a clinical, sick, emotionless mind that deals in abstracts and transactions with one goal in mind, the glorification of the self. If there is an analogy to be found in Nightcrawler I feel it lies there. Bloom is society. He is the cutthroat career ladder, he is the monetary driven decision making, he is the fear to keep us all in check, he is the ego-driven society. And boy is he scary.

Gyllenhaal's portrayal of this egotistical, ambitious and disturbingly intelligent timebomb is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the best performances of this or any year. The way he builds up the looming aggression is truly impressive. Bloom starts off as a smart talking know-it-all, trying to make ends meet. The type of guy you know there's something wrong with but you just can't put your finger on as to what that is. He makes you feel uncomfortable, with his bright smile and eyes that never really match it. His words, manipulative, arrogant and to the point, drive you in a corner, make you lose control and before you know it he has you. Bloom does this all the time and as the story progresses and his ego increases his disturbing true nature starts to scratch its way towards the surface. Sometimes subtle, sometimes in your face, Gyllenhaal gives life to an extremely disturbing and sick mind, that somehow feels, for lack of a better word, real. It's Gyllenhaal's show and he more than deserves centre stage.

Gilroy's film is smart and completely engrossing. He has crafted a harrowing tale without the sensationalism its protagonist is fueled by. He shows an impressive amount of restraint in how he says what he wants to say, never overstating the obvious and always dedicated to delving further into the mind of his main character. And even though the conclusion to the tale strays a bit from this approach it still manages to end on a disturbing notion.

The Blooms of this world get what they want.