Lou Blume, a thief who is ready to commit himself to a less illicit profession, however, finds trouble in being employed. After being enthralled by a car crash on the highway, Lou is introduced to the Nightcrawlers, people who make a living selling graphic footage to news broadcasters. Lou works on what is now his craft, learning everything he can about the business, filming, and how to manipulate people with his newfound power. Lou becomes intoxicated by his sudden strength and pushes the profession to its limit.

The acting, full stop, is incredible. Everyone in this film played their hearts out and it feels real, and gritty, and suspenseful.

The tonal shift in the film doesn't feel sudden but is still able to quickly move from an inspiring score behind Lou in Act 1, a playful confused score in Act 2, and a score of intensity and drama in Act 3.

The character progression of Lou is fantastic, it feels natural and understandable (well done by the fantastic foreshadowing) while still extreme.

The cinematography is eyecatching, always balancing deep shadows and hard lighting with natural colorful scenes.

The way the movie plays with how Lou thinks, especially with his relationship with Nina, is very tell-not-show, and I think this small mystery was chosen well to keep from the audience and have them assume his vile ways then show it on screen.

The final note of the film feels like the best possible. Lou "winning" seems to be what the movie had set up to happen.

The end of the film feels almost too fast. The final chase is incredible, however, the fact Lou ends completely unscathed feels a little wrong, but does work as a sort of critique of capitalism, and how it breeds violence and desensitization of people in order to succeed. People are simply pawns for the self to sacrifice for victory.

The police, like in every movie where the police are adjacent to the story, feel dumb and wrong. Lou's fingerprints are on a man that got hit by a car, the house of the triple homicide, the house at the beginning, and the police literally watched him speed through red lights during the final chase. I feel like knowing he was in these houses, and speeding after a crime in progress is a crime in and of itself.

Nightcrawler (2014) critiques the cut throat nature of capitalist success by giving us a Patrick Bateman wannabe, if Patrick Bateman came from nothing. The knowledge available to everyone, and the lengths people can go to be the best all come together with a creepy (albeit charming) weirdo who pushes the limits for his art, and finds himself profiting off of every risk.