Late night – Los Angeles: very graphic credits introduce the movie and the ambiance.
With a warm light almost sepia, and an intense blue, the color contrast reminds the atmosphere of the movie “Drive”. This is the same context, where a lonely guy in his thirties becomes the master of the city at nightfall. Drive and Night Call (What a surprise, the same producers are on the both projects) share the same character, hardly sociable and condemned to loneliness. A story told through a real visual estheticism and a photography that sets the mood.
Along the story, your feel more and more comfortable to evolve in this night life and yet obviously in a violent city. Indeed, Lou Bloom is focused, driven and convinced he found his thing into the hunt of graphic pictures as a paparazzi.
This is when all the plot becomes interesting:
Reassured by the atmosphere and convinced by the unshaken determination of Lou, you end up enjoying being part of the hunt. You get into the crazy race of the more dramatic topic and more shocking records. But what a race! This one goes way beyond the ethical limits.
And to make sure it still looks fine, Lou works hard on his speech. A speech that can make you accept the worst. Using perfectly inspirational words, always pointing the best of a situation, Lou masters personal & business coaching to use leverage on everyone.
It’s like Steve Jobs showing you by A+B that filming people dying is about progress and future. He has a point when the context remains absolutely outrageous.
Intimacy, decency and reserve cannot stand into Media world where it needs always more. When these lines are crossed, there is no more place for honor, honesty and humility while the characters reaches the top.
And here is the brilliant twist: after enduring such terrible journey into what worst media have to offer, you expect then the fall. Tony Montana, Jordan Belford (“The Wolf of Wall Street” / our review here), Gordon Gekko (“Wall Street”) etc… The ascension using the most fraudulent ways is as bearable and watchable as their fall reflects the consequences of their actions. The screenplay takes the power back and shows at the end what goes around comes around. The ethical values are preserved. However, in this movie you are far from this “expected” ending and “restored” morals.
Lou is who he is, claims it, accepts it, and if you disagree with his actions but you still get along with his wrongdoings knowing it, then you are the one to blame!
This is this exact feeling, terrible and fascinating at the same time, that really struck me.
A movie that doesn’t leave you careless and this, thanks to Jake Gyllenhaal. His transformation is just impressive. He personifies perfectly this character who observes so well and hunts like a sociopath. His interpretation intrigues you. Never too much, his gesture, his smile, his look, everything is extremely thought through in this disturbing character. Up to anything, charismatic despite is neglected clothes, he will be successful in whatever he undertakes.
A young actor but obviously very comfortable with playing several pesonalities (remember his performance playing his double in Enemy)
An actor to follow up very closely who always nailed his film choices.
