Sizing up the fall release slate, there’s one style that’s increasingly dominant – the unusual drama. From Birdman to Gone Girl, we’re in store for a season of intelligent thinkers that play around with style to tell intoxicating stories. One title that’s emerging as the underdog amidst those heavy hitters is crime journalism pic, Nightcrawler.
Headed up by Jake Gyllenhaal as eager reporter, Lou Bloom, the film journals his foray into the world of freelance crime journalism in Los Angeles. Sounds like a typical by-the-numbers affair, except for one aspect: Bloom’s a bit too keen. In order to snap the biggest scoops, he holds off on informing the police after being clued in to certain incidents.
Thus far, there have been a couple of teasers that stir up the joking, black comedy side to the story. Landing back in July, the first trailer saw Gyllenhaal addressing the camera directly in a jet-black riff on Ferris Bueller’s destruction of the fourth wall. The second teaser angled itself on the grittier aspects of the movie’s story, which is where the new TV spot joins the party.
It’s only 30 seconds long and it seems to adopt a more straight-up actioner approach to the content. It’s understandable that Open Road Films are erring on the side of caution, by broadening the marketing campaign to snare a wider audience for what appears to be an edgy flick.
Check out the spot above, along with a new poster below, then let us know if you’ll be in line to see it on Halloween.
Nightcrawler opens on October 31st.
NIGHTCRAWLER is a pulse-pounding thriller set in the nocturnal underbelly of contemporary Los Angeles. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Lou Bloom, a driven young man desperate for work who discovers the high-speed world of L.A. crime journalism. Finding a group of freelance camera crews who film crashes, fires, murder and other mayhem, Lou muscles into the cut-throat, dangerous realm of nightcrawling — where each police siren wail equals a possible windfall and victims are converted into dollars and cents. Aided by Rene Russo as Nina, a veteran of the blood-sport that is local TV news, Lou blurs the line between observer and participant to become the star of his own story.