Dan Gilroy's “Nightcrawler,” which I'm guessing will be part of the Toronto Film Festival's announcement tomorrow morning, is really looking fascinating to me from afar. “A young man stumbles upon the underground world of L.A. freelance crime journalism” is already an intriguing enough logline, but this could be a real coming out for actor Jake Gyllenhaal.
The script is said to be pretty amazing and one person even put it to me that this will be Gyllenhaal's “Taxi Driver.” Then over the weekend, an interesting little video resume popped up at Craigslist and went viral. It features a gaunt Gyllenhaal as Louis Bloom, pitching his virtues as he seeks employment, and he looks incredibly focused.
The actor has really gone for it in the thriller, dropping a bunch of weight and getting into the intensity of the character; he had to get stitches when he punched a mirror during one emotionally charged scene.
Gyllenhaal hasn't danced with awards season too much. He was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nearly 10 years ago for “Brokeback Mountain,” but he has been impressive throughout his career. Just last year he made a strong case with Denis Villeneuve's “Prisoners” and the year before, “End of Watch” was a great showcase for his focus and intensity. Will “Nightcrawler” break him out into leading man awards territory?
I can't say, but I know I'm dying to see the film and the performance. Check out the promo below.
“Nightcrawler” hits theaters on Oct. 17.