MovieChat Forums > Nightcrawler (2014) Discussion > What I wish was different in the movie.

What I wish was different in the movie.

posted 9 years ago by The-Demon
13 replies | jump to latest

I liked the movie. Thought it was great. The main character was unlikable which is fine.

I just wish he wasn't a thief or violent in the beginning of the movie. First he steals scraps, assaults a security guard and then steals his watch.

He tries to find work and is rejected. I rather they have that. A guy being rejected who was likable in the beginning of the movie. Someone we can relate to. He's looking for work, saw the freelance journalists and decides to be one. I wish he didnt have to steak the bike to sell it to buy a camera. Just sell whatever he currently has to again make the audience relate.

Then when he starts seeing the money come in and wants more of it the greed gets to him and he becomes who he is. Again, this allows the audience to relate to the character even if he becomes unlikable. Money can change people. He starts screwing over the competition, tampering with the crime scene to get better footage, etc.

Still think Jake was great in this. I actually wasn't sure if it was him or the actor in The Purge when I saw the trailer.

[–] TxMike 9 years ago

It isn't uncommon for someone to "wish" that the movie had a different story. But it doesn't, so maybe let's think of why the script was written the way it was. Why the character was portrayed the way he is.

From the very beginning they wanted to show that Lou is an inherently flawed person. Maybe he was born that way, maybe something turned him when he was younger, however as the movie starts he is already a self-centered, duplicitous person. They take that premise and the story is built around it.

What you describe is a completely different character.

..*.. TxMike ..*..
Take a risk, Take a chance, Make a change. Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway

[–] The-Demon 9 years ago

I think I've seen you on the Ink Master or Big Brother boards...

Obviously this isn't the thread for you as I clearly wrote in the subject line of what I wish. Here not gonna rewrite, reshoot, and rerelease the movie on my criticism.

I liked the movie, the ending was fine. He got away with everything. Maybe down the road he gets arrested but that's not what happened. And clearly the movie takes place of the the span of a few months.

I just think the movie would have been better if it started different in the main characters personality but ended the same way. A successful movie is getting the audience to care or relate to the characters. I actually sort of related to his assistant. I've gotten screwed over by turning down a nice paying payday ($400) for a potential better job so I went to the interview only for them to change the qualification of the position when everything was discussed beforehand. So I ended up not making money that day and didn't get the job.

I related to the guy for taking 3 buses to get to the job interview only to find out its just a non paying internship and finally $30/night.

[–] TxMike 9 years ago

No, you haven't.

..*.. TxMike ..*..
Take a risk, Take a chance, Make a change. Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway

[–] The-Demon 9 years ago

Well then someone uses the same name and picture cause those are the 2 main boards I post on.

EDIT: Maybe it was the Back to the Future threads. I used to post there a lot until the discussions became repetitive.

[–] Bobtheawesome 9 years ago

That's a fair point OP. Lou Bloom is a static character with virtually no development throughout the film. New things happen to him, but he doesn't change or evolve at all. He starts out a ruthless sociopath and ends it as a ruthless sociopath. The only noticeable difference I could find was how he's initially desperate for employment and begs others to hire him. Later he becomes adamant about wanting to be self employed. But of course this is more reflective of a change in his circumstances and career position then actual character development. Still a good movie though.

[–] The-Demon 9 years ago

I think it's a great movie. I actually felt bad for Ricky. For a while I kept thinking he was gonna get beaten up by Lou. I kept waiting for it to happen.

Lou didn't have to be an angel in the beginning of the movie either. Just rather omit things like him stealing and beating anyone up until after he was making money. The taste of money gets him to tamper with evidence, get his competitor in a bad car accident, stage a gun fight with police and get his assistant killed.

[–] The_Blue_Spirit 9 years ago

That's actually what I liked about it. We've seen dozens of movies that show good people turned bad. If it were like all of those, it would have had nothing to say.

I thought it made for a very tense movie, as you know right off the bat that he's a sociopath. You know he's going to be remorseless, then it just becomes a question of what lengths he will go to. He was completely unpredictable, which made the film extremely tense and fun to watch.

I don't disagree with you though, they didn't make the character relatable at all, which is what I liked about it. But to each his own.

"During the meeting, I was the perfect prince. But I wasn't me." -Zuko

[–] The-Demon 9 years ago

Not sure of many movies where a Good person becomes Bad.

I know any Shakespeare stories I never seem to like any of the characters.

Maybe Hallow Man with Kevin Bacon is the only one I can think of. He's a scientist doing research with the military. Experiments being invisible on himself with his team and suddenly feels powerful and does evil things.

[–] shockers-97970 9 years ago

Not sure of many movies where a Good person becomes Bad.

There are tons of movies where normal, honest people get lured into something illegal or sketchy... that's essentially what the poster was saying.

[–] soonerpike697 9 years ago

I think the fact he was an unapologetic Ahole was what made this movie so unique. This was a nice change of pace from your run of the mill story...

[–] DBLurker 9 years ago

The main character was unlikable which is fine.

"So the main character is unlikable, which is "fine", but here are few ways you can make him likable." - OP

[–] KingCobra686 9 years ago

That would have been a completely different movie, and not what the director was going for. Instead of a movie about a creepy guy succeeding in a sketchy field, it would have been a movie about a normal guy who turns into the creepy guy because of rejection.

[–] jezfernandez 8 years ago

I think the early scenes show how Lou ends up doing what he does. He will blur the lines of what is legally and morally right to achieve a goal; exactly as Nina does, which leads one of her colleagues to say, "You sound just like Lou!"

I guess I found it a little dissatisfying that there is zero remorse or redemption for Lou by the end, but that in itself is a commentary (I'd say) on the ruthless, opportunistic nature of news media.

"You filmed your partner dying!"
"It's my job - it's what I do."

I thought this was a great film with another knockout performance from Gyllenhal.