When ‘Nightcrawler’ released in 2014, it created quite a stir amidst the neo-noir aficionados in my Facebook timeline, as far as i can remember. But as always, i was quite late to the party when it came to watch a movie that was the toast of the season. I have not liked Jake Gyllenhal much ( as he always comes little bit of creepy to me) before but after I finished ‘Nightcrawler’ at one-go ( quite a feat for me), my mind already softened towards this hunk-of-an-actor.
I don’t want to delve into the technical aspects of the film in this post, rather I shall jot down what someone, who is determined to rise and shine in the corporate world, can learn from the movie-
- Create your own opportunity
I was quite impressed that how Louis Bloom stumbled upon his first piece as a stringer or how it first struck in his mind that stringing as a nightcrawler can fetch him moolah. If anyone ( who is obviously in a dire need of employment) can translate this into real life, it may open some doors hitherto seemed locked. Though sadly, the chances are really grim in an over-populated country like India where even to pass the reception desk of a small scale TV house, you need to burn few bridges.
2. Always be a smooth talker
What real education Louis Bloom lacked in his credential, he compensated for it with his smooth-talking. Be it with Nina Romina- the news producer or his ill-fated, rookie assistant Rick- Louis’s convincing power and jargon throwing capability have won him what he desired in both the cases. His bravado while talking to strangers is quite emulation-worthy.
3. The end always justifies the means
Louis Bloom is shady, morally ambiguous, prone to sabotage a crucial crime spot, a stalker and a thief. But what dawned to me once the end credit started rolling that- in corporate America ( or in anywhere else) , it’s the result that will speak for you. You need to only know the tricks to save your skin from potential dangers – both institutionalized and off it.
4. Realize its a dog-eats-dog world
I know that the movie is dark, full of satires and flaunts a bordering sociopath hero. But the cut-throat competition and chaos it showed in the business of morning news, are duly applicable to other fields as well. Compassion, solidarity or being responsible to one’s action don’t always take someone far. If we replace morning news with industries such as software or academia, we may get the same results.
5. Thinking on feet has many virtues
And the first one would be to save your neck from the clutches of law. Throughout the movie, Louis Bloom had spoken countless lies without batting an eyelid. Even in the penultimate moment of the film, when he was charged with tempering of crime scene and deserting his dying assistant , Louis Bloom got a way out of the mess just with his ‘think on feet’ gift.
This is the 5 points i can come up after watching this nail-biting flick. Now off i go to make a list of must-see thrillers and making some sense out of them.
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