I finally got the chance to watch Spiderman: Far From Home this weekend and I considered writing a review on it. Then I realised it would be near impossible to write a half decent review on the film without treading on spoiler territory. Point is, if you’ve watched the other MCU films you’re going to watch it anyway and if not, it’s fun, go see it. During Far From Home however, I was constantly transfixed on the seemingly unusual casting of Jake Gyllenhaal as Mysterio. Over the past few years, Gyllenhaal seems to have carved a niche for himself committing to some serious Oscar-worthy material, so Spiderman feels like a deviation from the norm. Unsurprisingly though, he knocks it out of the park and is easily one of the best parts of the film, cementing his capabilities as a truly versatile performer. So, for this review I thought I’d take on my favourite film of his, and one that really opened my eyes to his talent – the spectacular Nightcrawler (not the X-men superhero).

Nightcrawler, directed and written by Dan Gilroy, follows Lou Bloom (Gyllenhaal) a struggling scavenger looking for work who discovers an entirely new line of work – people who arrive early to crime scenes and videotape and photograph any relevant material and subsequently sell them to news agencies. An obviously dedicated individual, Lou Blooming obsession with capturing a “perfect crime” and profiting from it, soon pushes him over the edge.

Gyllenhaal defines magnetism in this role. Adopting deviant mannerisms, Gyllenhaal’s performance runs the risk of coming off as annoying or overacting, but instead is purely captivating. From his very first appearance and line, something feels very off about this character, simultaneously uncomfortable and hypnotising. In a dialogue heavy film, Jake the G delivers his dialogue to perfection amplifying the psychopathic tendencies of his character through odd enunciations and consistent pace in delivery. In addition to some drastic weight loss, Gyllenhaal nails the physicality of Bloom, conveying his curiosity through his wide Hannibal Lecter-like seemingly unblinking eyes, like something straight out of a Margaret Keane painting.

I’m even more grateful to Nightcrawler for introducing me to the spectacular Riz Ahmed. Riz perfectly portrays Lou’s sincere but gullible assistant dragged into his world oblivious of his psycopathy. If you loved Riz Ahmed as much as I did in this film, I can’t recommend the limited series The Night Of enough.

Although its phenomenal direction is supported by some spectacular and effortless cinematography from Robert Elswitt, Nightcrawler is really anchored by its first-rate screenplay. With his debut feature film, director and writer Dan Gilroy manages to create a thriller not overly reliant on set pieces but on character moments mapped out in entrancing dialogue. It is impossible to look away at any point during this film. Every single character is defined perfectly without a single loose end, allowing us to engage in and understand their dialogue and actions. He further manages the impossible task of making the audience root for a character who very early on gives off a strong psychopathic vibe. He does this by clearly articulating what ticks in his mind and making his actions always understandable, but never reasonable. Another understated feature of the script is its dedication to the world it places its characters in. Despite being character focused, the screenplay never loses sight of demonstrating the corrupt and unpleasant world of news media.

In the past, when I have written reviews for this blog, I made it a point to watch the film just before I reviewed it so I never make any mistakes and I have a comprehensive,better articulated idea of how I feel about it. I watched Nightcrawler almost 5 years ago, and haven’t watched it since, but this review was a cake walk. The film managed to stick with me for 5 years! I don’t have that good a memory. I went out without socks earlier today and didn’t realise until a few hours later when I tried to take off my shoe and inadvertently discovered (potentially) a very potent knockout gas (à la Pranav, in association with Adidas). At several instances throughout the film I found my mouth visibly agape and even audibly gasped at one point. Once the credits rolled I didn’t want to do anything but lock myself in my room and think about what I saw ( but apparently my Mother felt studying and subsequently flunking a Math mock exam was more important).

Nightcrawler was another very special movie to me and one I would list in my cataloue of films that changed the way I view cinema and screenwiting and I highly recommend it.

Nightcrawler is currently available on Netflix and Prime Video

Review:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

You’ll like it if:

• You’re looking for a tight, contained and well paced thriller.
• You love Jake Gyllenhaal, but for some reason you haven’t seen his best work yet (I do think this is better than Brokeback Mountain)
• You love well told anti-hero stories like Breaking Bad, There Will Be Blood and American Psycho.
• You love films about psychopaths ( if you do, I also suggest watching Wall-E and also re-evaluate your entire life)

P.S: Spiderman Far From Home was a very fun ride and in a lot of ways a step up from the predecessor. Beating Homecoming with greater stakes , fantastic action and set pieces, a great climax, top-notch visual effects and one of the best sequences I have ever seen in a Marvel film (I know that sounds vague, I’m sorry. To reveal more would be to spoil it), it is definitely one of the most entertaining, if not Spiderman, MCU films ever. I do feel the first act was very weak, and lacked a lot of the heart that the first film had. The movie hints at Peter’s struggle but fails to develop on it well enough. Some of the humour feels forced, the plot makes no sense in parts and some characters are useless. Thankfully the films more than redeems itself in the final acts and thankfully, that’s what we as an audience take home with us. So, I will say, there’s no need to be nitpicky, Far From Home was a fun ride, check it out in cinemas. (Stick around for the first shocking post credit scene, with one truly special cameo!)

Also, this is the tenth review on this blog! I suppose then, now is as good a time as any to sincerely thank everyone who’s reading and particularly the people who helped me start this blog and have helped build it through some invaluable support and feedback (you know who you are). This has been a really fun and cathartic experience to write these reviews and I hope to keep writing these for as long as I can. This blog has made me fall in love with some films even more and even changed the way I watch films now. I’m also certain that given this avenue for me now, a lot of people are grateful that they’re spared of my 2 hour rant on why I love La La Land. Thank you for Talking Film with me. Here’s to film and more such memorable experiences!