Nightcrawler

Think of our newscast as a screaming woman running down the street with her throat cut. 

(Nina Romina)

Asking a British person to name the things that makes them proud is like asking someone from the Amish community to name their favourite inventor. At a push a Brit might go for the NHS and the BBC: both of which find themselves under threat from government to privatise and commercialise respectively; the fact these plans have been met by only partial resistance give you some insight into the British psyche: we are the kind of cynical, apathetic people who will sleep through a burglary, then only be annoyed because they didn't take that sweater we hated.

The beauty of the BBC is that within its constitution is the requisite for impartiality. Opponents of the broadcaster often castigate it for being too left-wing- although former Scottish Nationalist leader, Alec Salmond, attacked the institution for being too right-wing in its Scottish referendum coverage. This is a good sign: the fact the broadcaster is being challenged from both sides must mean it’s doing something right and retaining its neutral ethos.

The same cannot be said for America. It is very clear when you watch American news what side of the political divide the news channel is on. Viewing clips of Bill O’Reilly and Glenn Beck online only makes me, as a Brit, aware of how lucky we have it: the objective of the news here is to be objective, to present the facts and leave the opinions to the viewers; whereas in America ‘the cult of celebrity’ has toppled journalists from their pedestal and in their place made monuments out of shock jock news(w)anchors.

Nightcrawler is a film that centres on the miasma of commercial news broadcasting.  In a market where the mantra is “if it bleeds, it leads," there can be no surprise at the lengths news outlets will go to get a story. The two principal characters are Lou Bloom and Nina Romina. Jake Gyllenhaal’s Lou is the eponymous nightcrawler, sweeping the streets at night for stories to sell. Nina (Rene Russo) is the embattled news executive desperate for the footage that will secure her victory over local competitors. Her idea of a good lead is one that piques the fears of Middle America or as she puts it: “We find our viewers are more interested in urban crime creeping into the suburbs. What that means is a victim or victims, preferably well-off and/or white, injured at the hands of the poor, or a minority.”  

In theory, journalism should operate outside of market forces: it should present stories that matter to everyone, not just its viewership. 

Nina knows the reality is different: the news is as much about demand and supply as any other business; give the viewer what they want and they will return for more: her currency is fear of the other, the immigrant, and any story that validates that prejudice will be bought again and again. All Lou has to do is use his police tracker to pick and choose the crimes that conform to this dogma and get in and film it before anyone else does.

Media bedfellows: Nina and Lou.

Lou is one of the creepiest characters ever put to screen. Gyllenhaal’s unerring portrayal of him is reason to watch the film in itself. The viewer is invited to see Lou’s moral code at the beginning of the film where he steals construction material and punches out an approaching security guard, pocketing his watch in the process. Lou is a man that will take what he wants without thinking of the repercussions. He embodies perhaps the cruel, cold heart of unfettered capitalism, a system unencumbered by human feeling. On a drive home in his 1985 Toyota Tercel he witnesses a camera crew get up close and personal with a road traffic accident, eager to learn more about this ignoble profession, he enquires into the finer details of the pursuit. Picking up the basics it’s not long before Lou has employed a navigator to help him catch his quarry before his competitors get there first. Watching his ascent to the top, symbolised in his upgraded car and camera, is eyes-through-the-hand enthralling: as the stakes are raised, Lou’s hand becomes more and more amoral, leading to a blurring of lines between gathering and shaping news.

Dan Gilroy’s film asks viewers difficult questions: Do you want the news to lead debate or respond to it? Who should the news serve: advertisers or viewers? What are the ethical ramifications of the news chasing ratings? In a country whose public broadcaster is under threat, these are questions we may soon have to ask ourselves. For America, maybe this film isn't a harbinger but a mirror; a warning that it's too late to be saved. The news has been sold by Lou's to Nina's. The price: ignorance.

Nightcrawler is available on DVD now.