Jake Gyllenhaal’s 95% Rated Thriller Masterpiece Is Now Streaming on Netflix 

Jake Gyllenhaal’s Nightcrawler is now available to watch on Netflix. It debuted on the platform on August 1, along with other hits such as Speed, Tears of the Sun, and seven Fast & Furious movies. If you haven’t seen it already, the 2014 psychological thriller is one of the most unsettling and engrossing movies you will ever see. It has a 95% score on the Tomatometer (as of August 7, 2026).

If you are not convinced, it is basically the most David Fincher movie Fincher himself did not direct. Directed by Dan Gilroy (in his feature debut, if you can believe that), the movie has Gyllenhaal starring in the role of a thief, Louis Bloom. In a career chock-full of disturbing characters played by Gyllenhaal, Bloom has to be near the top.

Lou is a desperate man who earns his living by petty thievery. One night, he discovers that filming violent incidents and then selling the footage to local news stations can be surprisingly lucrative. He begins documenting violent crimes and incidents, and begins crossing horrifying lines to get the most disturbing visuals he can get.

Jake Gyllenhaal Goes Full Dark in This Chilling Thriller

Jake Gyllenhaal in a still from Nightcrawler | Credits: Open Road Films

Gyllenhaal makes even the most boring roles interesting. And in this one, his talents get worthy material. His performance is the beating heart of Nightcrawler. He is the villain, but he is not your routine bad guy. In fact, if you were to meet him, you’ll come away impressed. He is polite and articulate. He is also remarkably composed, even in situations where one should not be composed at all.

To his assistant Rick (Riz Ahmed, who is reliably brilliant), he speaks the language of self-improvement and ambition, as though he has learned how to package every depraved instinct in the language of professional development.

​He behaves like an alien wearing human skin. He does not seem to possess any empathy. Gyllenhaal has spoken about his physical transformation for the role. But appearance and physical transformation can only go so far. It is his performance that really makes Lou feel like he is always studying the people around him for weakness.

The genius of Gyllenhaal’s performance and Gilroy’s writing is that Lou rarely, if ever, behaves as though he believes he is doing anything wrong. Every person and situation is an opportunity to be exploited. This movie proves that Gyllenhaal would be a perfect fit as the Joker.

Nightcrawler‘s Dark Take on TV News Still Feels Prophetic

The most disturbing thing is how familiar the world it depicts feels. The movie specifically targets the local TV news industry in America and its insatiable appetite for the most shocking footage possible. Their audience is drawn to violence and tragedy, and somebody would eventually figure out how to package and sell those things. And Lou simply happens to be the best at it.

​The news producer Nina Romina (Rene Russo, who plays Thor’s mother Frigga in MCU movies) understands the value of footage. Well, commercial value at least, if not journalistic. She wants stories that will make the audience stop whatever they are doing and be glued to their screens. Lou quickly learns exactly what she wants and goes on to push the boundaries to provide it.

​This dynamic feels particularly relevant in the social media/AI era. Today, unverified images can spread and cause chaos. The movie was released back when the attention economy had not reached the level it has today. Yet it understood that the more disturbing the visuals, the harder it is to look away.

What do you think makes Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance as Lou Bloom so disturbing? Share your thoughts in the comments!