When driving through the City one night, he comes across a road accident being attended to by Paramedics, as whilst there a video crew arrive and atart shooting the aftermath. He soon discovers that this could be a quick and easy way to make more money.
So by his ill gotten gains he manages to obtain a video camera, and sets about finding that piece of footage that he will be able to sell to the news network teams.
He learns his craft quickly, and also that it is a cutthroat business. There is stiff competition from small outfits all trying to get to accidents or crime scenes ahead of their rivals, so they can be first to offer the footage for sale. Initially he is laughed at, and derided for his amateurish effort, but soon he is the one laughing. His inital sale goes well, and from there he is soon on the Streets, getting more footage, earning more money, and thus able to buy better equipment, and Police scanners etc.
Soon the competition is coming to him, making him an offer to merge their units, but he declines, instead hiring an extra pair of hands to aid with his growing business.
He forms a relationship with Nina, who is a more mature News director, she sees potential in Lou, and pushes him to get more juicy footage that she can use. As desperate as Lou is to make a name for himself, she is equally desperate as her contract is almost up for renewal, and without improving ratings, it is doubtful she would be returning. The film is ultimately about desperate people, and the lengths they go to. Can we go too far to get what we want? For some the answer is clearly no. For some it is kill or be killed, there is no place for morals. And clearly Lou and Nina are similar to each other. He is depserate to please her, make a name for himself, as well as earning money, and she wants to get the better ratings and please her Boss, so she gets her contract renewed. Both pushing the boundaries on ethics, with Lou entering crime scenes before the Police arrive to film a massacred family killed in their home, and Nina justifying to her creative team why they can show the footage.
Lou sees Nina as his ticket to a far better life. She sees him as a way to keep the life she has. They constantly bicker over the price of footage.She tries to buy it for as low a price as possible. He knows he is being used, and Lou uses that method when hiring his extra hand Rick, who he hires on an apprenticeship, thus meaning he does not have to pay him a wage, whilst Lou starts driving round in a very expensive looking sports car. Rick tolerates this for only so long, and eventually Lou does pay him, bare minimum wage. But soon through circumstance, Rick gets the upper hand on Lou, and tries to use this to his advantage. Will Lou tolerate this position he is in?
It is a fascinating and absorbing look at the media, ethics, the intrusion of those being filmed, and I guess also gets us to question our morals, as we are the ones watching. The lines in the sand really do start to get blurred, as everyone tries to get more for themselves.
Riz Ahmed is great as lackie Rick. And it is wonderful to see a great actress like Rene Russo shine as Nina, a determined and focused woman, driven to any lengths to maintain her career. It is hard to believe that is Dan Gilroy's first time in the Directors chair. He has an assured hand that really brings this fascinating story to life.
And Jake Gyllenhaal really gives a career best performance as Lou, from his appearance, looking gaunt, seedy & desperate to his delivery of great dialogue. In a year when there will be a dozen names vying for an Oscar nomination in lead actor category, it would be nice to see Gyllenhaal's name up there, but I suspect because of the high volume of great performances this year, I think he may lose out, and that would be a great shame.
As a good as film as you will see this year....................9 out of 10
No comments:
Post a Comment