Written/directed by Dan Gilroy of Nightcrawler (2014), Roman J, Israel, Esq. stars Denzel Washington, Colin Farrell, Carmen Ejogo and Shelley Hennig in a story about a driven, idealistic defence attorney. One who, as a result of a tumultuous series of events, finds himself in a crisis that leads to extreme action.
Of course I’m in! Washington and Farrell, such a promising pairing – and that’s before anyone even mentions Mr. Gilroy, the man responsible for the movie that really should have resulted in an Oscar nomination for Jake Gyllenhaal.
Nightcrawler is not quite a horror movie. However, in the role of Lou Bloom, an L.A. Crime Journalist, Jake Gyllenhaal has never been more gaunt and terrifying.
It’s not just his deep, dark and sunken eyes that might give you nightmares. The audience learns rather quickly that not only is Lou smarter than the average person, he’s also, definitely a sociopath.
Nightcrawler (2014), Jake Gyllenhaal
The tensions in this great work, written/directed by Dan Gilroy exist because the audience realises rather quickly that Lou is a little more than just a tad unhinged – which of course, can only mean bad things for all who establish any kind of relationship with him.
Gilroy’s film is good and it’s dark, both thematically and aesthetically. There’s also some brilliant dialogue here. My favourite moment is Lou’s parting line in one of his last exchanges with Bill Paxton’s character.
Besides Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo and Ashton’s great work, the character of Rick is a brilliant turn for British Actor Riz Ahmed.
Overall, Nightcrawler does a good job of highlighting some of the issues with the world we live in today, plus the characters it can produce, plus the danger that can exist in the vulnerability of the truly desperate.
Watch it and cement your appreciation of Gyllenhaal’s skills.
The Movie My Life 