The aftermath of postwar paranoia changed how the characteristics of the modern-day protagonist would be developed through empathy for the antihero. Classic noir films would typically implore the audience to identify with an inherently moral, if flawed, protagonist. However, with the rise of postwar consumerism, audiences became increasingly expected to incriminate themselves through the eyes of the antihero. With the evolution of noir to neo-noir, as the genre has changed so have the motives and traits of the antihero protagonists like Lou Bloom, played by a skeletal Jake Gyllenhaal, in Dan Gilroy’s 2014 Nightcrawler.
Jake Gyllenhaal dives deep into Lou Bloom
Still embracing the conventions of classic noir through low key lighting and methodical cinematography, Nightcrawler (dir. Dan Gilroy) invites you into the nocturnal crevice that is modern-day Los Angeles. Centering on Lou Bloom, the film dissolves the blurred lines of ambitious behavior and sociopathic tendencies. In the first sequence of the film, Lou is introduced possessing the look of a scavenger, a coyote. Pale, thin, and unkempt, he is found by security while he is stealing Cooper fencing to sell at a local scrapyard. His actions immediately register as criminal, and this neo-noir doesn’t need narration to get that across. Unlike the appeal of Walter Neff confessing his wrongdoings while awaiting his comeuppance, Lou is able to convince the audience that he is doing what he needs to do to get by while convincing himself he is in his right to do so. Lou’s personality drips off his face like a cold sweat, with the greasy implication that the ends justify the means. With his above average intellect and precise articulation, he persuades his cohorts and viewers alike to trust his meticulous endeavors.
Throughout the film, Lou’s drive to succeed leads him to commit unethical and seemingly unforgivable actions. Yet, the audience is understanding in terms of one’s survival in modern day society. For noir culture of the 1940s and early 1950s, the protagonist was never a mere criminal but someone whose circumstance or weakness might result in unlawful action, with the narrative providing careful consideration of how and why he or she got there in the first place.
Bloom exposes extreme actions of the media.
In his successful debut, writer and director Dan Gilroy portrays the dark side of capitalism by directing his attention towards the relentless and often insatiable growth of human consumption–specifically, the need for entertainment and varieties thereof in the form of violence and media. Placing the audience in the shoes of Lou Bloom, he critiques society for the sordid efforts and media gain provided by real life professional “stingers”. They scavenge the night waiting for carnage to ensue in hopes of catching it first, on camera. The footage is then sold to the highest bidder and later released on local and at times national news stations. “If it bleeds, it leads” claims Joe Loder (Bill Paxton).
The film mirrors the ugly reality that U.S. capitalism is fed to We the People. Since the era of postwar journalism, films have attempted to greet audiences with the blissful ignorance that had been sought after to alter the state of mind during the world wars of the 20th century and their impact on the American people. As time went on, society was no longer interested in the common man’s mundane life, instead opting for more complex and sometimes deadly stories/footage. Exposure to such stories gained more viewers, which in turn monopolized American citizens with its content while providing these “stingers” with the motivation to continue seeking the latest and greatest of gory news. The film doesn’t uncover the low brow composition of what it might take to make it in his situation, he uncovers the lewd facts about what society secretly wants to see. This triggers the chain reaction in how human consumption is ultimately factored and more importantly, how it is delivered. Society wants to place blame on the media for airing such horrific content (silently they cannot look away), adding to the higher demand of such content.
The lines between recording news and creating it blur in Nightcrawler.
Gilroy goes against the grain highlighting the purposefully flawed and perfectly creepy characteristics of the homme fatale, Lou. Not persuaded by Nina’s (Rene Russo) prude sexual appeal, Lou is able to manipulate relationships with others around him, having them fall for his active charm and intellect. Typically, the audience will await his eventual downfall, which never comes. Lou isn’t driven by the physical act of sex; rather he is aroused by the content of which he creates and what it does for his livelihood. Unlike the male protagonist of the former noir films, Lou isn’t conditioned to fall for the opposition. Instead, he supersedes that common trope and unexpectedly becomes victorious in his efforts.
Assuming the balance of the noir ethos, the protagonist is always doomed to failure in order to benefit from viewers’ sympathy. Walter Neff (Double Indemnity), Ned Racine (Body Heat), and Nick Curran (Basic Instinct) all succumbed to their sexual obsessions; Lou, though, is so engulfed with his own career success that he needs no femme fatale to fulfill his desires. It is only the demand for profit and the shameful desires of human consumption that exploit, yet support, the empathy and compassion for the anti-hero.
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