Film can sometimes be a roller coaster of sorts. Sometimes you strap in thinking you know where the ride will take you but get off dazed and confused. The entirety of the ride is a mystery, the only clear factor is that the ride made an impact.

“Nightcrawler” (Rated R; 117 min.) is an edge-of-your-seat thriller that will keep your heart pounding and make you wonder where you ended up.

The crime thriller is directed by Dan Gilroy and stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Bill Paxton and Rene Russo.

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Louis Bloom, played by Gyllenhaal, is a do-it-yourself kind of guy. Currently in the market for a job, Bloom decides to try his hand at the TV news business. Despite having no experience in the field, he soon rises through the ranks of the industry and creates a successful news production company.

Bloom is soon faced with heinous acts and crimes he must accomplish to continue being successful. He blends the line between what is news and the news business itself. He stages crimes and crime scenes to look better and one starts to wonder if going back is even an option.

Gyllenhaal is a versatile actor.

Movies like the criminally underrated “Prisoners,” “Zodiac” and “Brokeback Mountain” have proven he is an actor to be contended with during Oscar season. “Nightcrawler” is no different.

Gyllenhaal is beyond perfect. He is the driving force in this movie. His character of Bloom is arguably the most interesting character to hit the screen this year.

Bloom is not a likable character by any means, quite the opposite actually. Some might even call him a sociopath. He is a selfish wreck of a character.

It will be an Oscar travesty if Gyllenhaal is not nominated for this role. He encompasses and becomes this character. From his constantly wide eyed and driven manner to his random bouts of rage and violence. He brings all of the tools to this character—and it shows.

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Riz Ahmed, a virtually unknown actor, also gives a terrific performance. As Bloom’s right hand man Rick, he plays the role of the audience member. He is as new to this game as Bloom, and learns what kind of man he is. Ahmed plays the character with a different kind of wide-eyed nature.

The movie is a wonderful satire of the news media industry. It comments on everything from the media’s need for blood, violence and gore to the type of people who work in the news media.

Throughout the film, the news organizations that Bloom sells his footage to are always asking for car crashes, murders and anything that will boost ratings. The type of people he runs into are just as detached from the horrors as Bloom. They even facilitate him.

“Nightcrawler” is the type of movie you are going to see more than once. On previews, it is unclear what the film is entirely about. This is not a bad thing, it actually makes the movie endearing. Easy answers are just that, easy. Sometimes film is there to make you think and realize even movies do not always have easy answers.

Stars: 4.5 out 5

Jacob Pierce can be reached at [email protected], on Twitter @JacobPierce1_DE or at 536-3311 ext. 273