It takes brass to affix the label ‘modern classic’ to a film that isn’t even out yet, but **Nightcrawler **is a movie that’s drawing superlatives like its star Jake Gyllenhaal once drew magazine cover spots. As you can see from the film’s new UK poster, debuting below, Gyllenhaal has shed those boyish good looks for a role that sees him stalking the streets as a sort of Travis Bickle for the viral video world. Click below for a closer look. The film sees his drifter Lou Bloom finding a vocation when he witnesses a cameraman recording a car accident in Los Angeles and later stumbles upon the footage online. Presto, he’s sniffed out a career as a kind of multimedia ambulance chaser. With a video recorder, a police scanner, a speedy set of wheels and Riz Ahmed to assist, he carves out a bizarre niche in a world that permits his kind not only to exist, but to flourish. As for its star, Oscar talk doesn’t feel outlandish.
Nightcrawler, which is also the recipient of a stellar Empire rating, is the debut feature of Real Steel and The Bourne Legacy screenwriter Dan Gilroy. He’s surrounded himself with a gifted ensemble that includes his brother Tony as producer, twice-Oscar nominated DP Robert Elswit on cinematography duties, and Rene Russo and Bill Paxton in supporting roles.
Judge its classic-worthiness for yourself when **Nightcrawler **hits UK screens on October 31.