Nightcrawler

SPOILER ALERT! The plot will be discussed.

In this 2014 film, written and directed by Dan Gilroy, there are mostly night shots, befitting the title of Nightcrawler. In the role of Louis Bloom, Jake Gyllenhaal has an unblinking, staring face that has the look of a sleepwalker who can lull a victim to join him in his restful state before striking. As IMDb notes, the actor lost weight, and with hair slicked back and a protruding jawline, he wanted to give the appearance of “a hungry coyote.” As a “stringer, or “nightcrawler” Lou is a predator who becomes a photojournalist and goes around at night to feed off of people’s stories, like the worm of the title, in a story that exposes the dark, seedy side of those exploiting mass media.

The first shot is of a blank billboard, implying we can write anything on it, and that is what some news services do. Instead of reporting, these freelance, uncredentialed journalists transform the news into sensationalism, and in the case of Lou, for selfish reasons through criminal acts. The first sound after the credits is that of a blaring train horn, as if to signal an alarm about what is happening in this tale set in Los Angeles. As is demonstrated when we first see him, Lou has no principles from the start, and through becoming a “nightcrawler” finds a way of using his sociopathic ways to earn a living, capitalism being a sort of perverted equal opportunity enabler (his last name implies that he “blooms’ after finding a way to empower his malevolence). Lou is committing a criminal act, breaking through a restricted area’s fence. He puts on a disarming smile to act like he is nonthreatening, but it is a ruse. He tells property’s security guard (Michael Papajohn) he just became lost and that there were no signs that he was not supposed to enter. He tries to get away with lies through his polite, seemingly benign manner. The guard tells him there are, in fact, warning signs posted everywhere. Lou lies again when he says the gate, which he broke through, was open. He assesses the situation, noting that the man’s uniform shows that he is a private guard. Thus, Lou knows that he is not getting involved with the police, whose threat to him would be more problematic. He also sees that the guard is wearing a nice watch. Lou gets close to the man and overpowers him.

The next shot is of Lou’s wrist, revealing that he is wearing the watch. As he drives, he notices expensive cars in a display window, showing his obvious desire to obtain expensive things. On the radio there is talk about unemployment, which implies that the lack of any income for some people can fuel criminal activity to obtain goods. Lou goes to a scrapyard trying to sell the copper, manhole covers and fencing he stole from the site. The owner (Marco Rodriguez) lowballs him because he knows Lou is a thief, since the police had been around asking about stolen manhole covers. Lou talks in this artificially formal way, in a way tipping off his phoniness. He makes an elaborately worded pitch to get a job at the scrapyard, finishing with, “My motto is if you want to win the lottery, you’ve got to make money to buy a ticket.” He sounds as if he’s reading cliched slogans from a book on how to be successful. The owner, however, isn’t buying the pitch, and says no. He says why should he hire a crook, so he is not taken in by this sleazy huckster. But, he is corrupt enough to buy stolen merchandise from Lou at a low price, which illustrates that Lou is in a sordid society that allows him to flourish.

Lou stops near a car accident where a vehicle is on fire. The police are already there and fire engines are on the way. Joe Loder (Bill Paxton) pulls up with his van and yells at his assistant to record video shots inside the flaming car. These opportunistic photojournalists swarm onto the scene, excited by the fact that they are there first to get the scoop. They exploit the misery of others by selling their footage to news outlets who encourage this parasitic activity so they can air the recordings to cater to the voyeuristic tendencies of their audience, which then boosts TV station’s ratings. Their equipment is sophisticated, but the scene is a reminder that private people shoot scary scenes every day with their phone cameras, sometimes while they are driving, compounding the danger of the moment.

Lou asks Loder if the footage will be broadcast on television, and Loder says, “If it bleeds, it leads,” guaranteeing it will be shown in the morning. When asked which channel, Loder says whichever one pays the most, although given the fact that they run around so much, he says not enough. They use a police scanner to find out where to go next. The movie suggests that by turning news reporting into a mercenary act instead of an admirable job with a duty to inform the public of pertinent facts, journalism becomes a business of low ethical standards. Lou is impressed with all of the expensive equipment, since we have already seen how he is drawn to pricey merchandise. So, he asks for a job. Even though turned down he again appears phony by being overly polite in his thanks for the information about Loder’s work.

The next day in the background there is continuous broadcasting of radio and TV news along with commercials, stressing the association of information with money. There are helicopters circling above, surveying what’s going on below, pointing out how modern society is under constant surveillance, and the actions of its members can easily be recorded. Lou, watching his TV, hears about a huge payoff for that lottery he talked about, and he lets out a thrilled laugh just contemplating the hope of striking it rich. The TV presents an inundation of stories, suggesting how viewers are drowned in images and sounds. Lou sees the footage of the car crash at six in the morning of the day following the event, confirming Loder’s assurance of what type of story is guaranteed to be aired.

Lou sits in Venice Beach, again looking dormant before he commits his crime, as a bike rider parks his upscale bicycle. The next shot is of Lou with the bike, which he has obviously stolen, trying to get some cash for it at a pawn shop. He sounds like one of the commercials he probably has grown up hearing all his life. He lies about having won an international race with the bike, but the owner of the pawn shop (Jonny Coyne), like the scrapyard boss, has heard these pitches before. He tells Lou that no bike has as many gears as Lou boasts about, showing how the owner also knows the goods don’t belong to Lou. But, he also is not above buying the stolen item at a low price. Lou is okay with getting less money, but makes the deal only if he can get a camcorder and a police scanner.

Lou listens to the scanner and starts to show up at places involving police activity. He is intrusive with his presence as he shoots his video, and gets warnings about obstruction of justice from the cops. At one spot, there is a shooting victim in critical condition following a carjacking. There is already someone there recording it. Again, Lou is too aggressive, and causes the police to tell both Lou and the other nightcrawler to back off. The man from Ace Video (Eric Lange) yells at Lou because he ruined the shoot. Lou overhears him call in the story to a news outlet and negotiate a price for the recording, which points Lou to a place to sell his work.

Lou goes to the news station the cameraman mentioned, Channel 6. He has his camera and acts like he is a regular with video footage, showing how appearances can be deceiving. He is directed to Nina Romina (Rene Russo), and boldly tells her he has some footage for sale. She asks if he is a “stringer,” and wants to know who he works for, because they usually get the video from sources that they have relied on in the past. Lou says he works for himself and has closer shots than what Ace Video got at the carjacking. She calls in Frank Kruse (Kevin Rahm) who is the assignment editor, and they look at the footage.

Because Lou’s video shows more gory detail, Nina is impressed, coming off like a news vampire. Frank says the blood is excessive and people will be eating breakfast. She says after breakfast they will be talking about what they saw at breakfast while at work, and adds that the local station should have more of this kind of news. The movie implies that the exploitative news “disease” is spreading. Lou, always starting with an exorbitant price, asks for a grand for the video. She, however, knows he has no time to sell elsewhere and she points out that the quality of the video is lousy. She gets him to settle for $250. The story is saying that the misery of people is for sale, to be haggled over, like at a flea market. The profession becomes devoid of empathy in the coldness of the business transaction.

Nina tells Lou he has a good eye and wants him to contact the station first for what he has to sell, but advises him that he needs better equipment. He is once more verbose in thanking her for the encouragement. He asks if she wants “bloody” footage, but she adds not just blood, that they want to report crimes, too. But then she adds a bigoted note by saying they don’t want all criminal acts, as a carjacking in Compton, an African American community, is not interesting, implying that lawbreaking among black people is commonplace, and the plight of people living there is of little interest. She flat out says that her viewers “are more interested in urban crime creeping into the suburbs. What that means is a victim or victims, preferably well-off and/or white, injured at the hands of the poor, or a minority.” So, she is trading on the fear of the privileged as they worry about the lower classes taking away their safety and wealth. This type of journalism encourages stereotyping, but even worse, fosters animosity between citizens. She says she wants “graphic” news, not just a person passively bleeding. She says picture “a screaming woman running down the street with her throat cut.” That image catches the “spirit” of what they want to air, the use of the elevated word “spirit” being inappropriate considering the depravity of what she is asking for.

Lou later sees what he sold on the air. The local station’s ad says it’s a news outlet. “you can count on,” but what is it that can be counted on? Is it gruesome exploitation? Lou now listens to the scanner to identify the codes that indicate the type of police activity in progress. Lou, acting like he is an established newsman, interviews Rick (Riz Ahmed) and finds out that Rick is an unskilled, marginally employed, desperate person who jumps from job to job, and who has been homeless. Rick says, “I need a job. I’ll do just about anything.” Lou is not looking for some high-minded person who can afford to choose his jobs based on moral grounds. All he requires is that Rick learn the codes on the scanner, and have a cell phone with GPS so he can navigate Lou to Nina’s “graphic” scenes that he hears on the scanner. Lou wants someone who will feel grateful that he is getting paid, even if it is for a despicable purpose. Lou is always bargaining, and tries to get Rick to be an unpaid intern, but eventually is willing to give him thirty dollars a night.

After getting to one scene too late because Rick didn’t give him directions quick enough to beat out Loder, Lou stresses the need for communication between them. So, he is willing, at first, to be less vocally bullying of Rick. In relation to the work they are doing, Lou tells Rick that “fear” stands for “False Information Appearing Real,” which is an excellent description of what unscrupulous journalists hope to create to manipulate the population.

The two go to a site where there was a shooting, but Lou is told “it’s over.” That statement causes him to decide to insert himself more into the events themselves. Lou illegally goes inside the victim’s house and films personal photos and mail which provide images, names and other private information. Frank says the footage does not show Lou being invited in or talking with the people living in the house, so it appears Lou is breaking the law by trespassing. Nina loves the invasion of privacy, probably because it ramps up the emotional involvement on the part of the viewer. Afterwards, Lou compliments Nina, again not speaking naturally, like he is delivering a speech, on how she handled Frank. She, commenting on his verbal delivery, asks him how he learned his speaking style, but he admits it is not from school. He reveals that he is online all day, which reflects an education weaned on inauthentic posturing to brand, influence, and sell. He tells her that he took a business course online about how a person should have a plan, find out what one wants to do, and assess one’s own strengths and weaknesses. He said he now thinks that TV news is what he loves, and what he is good at. Given the depravity of his personality, that doesn’t say much for the standards of the TV industry. He then looks at the large photo backdrop of the city on the set at the station and says, “On TV it looks so real.” His remark reveals how what one sees on television may all be an illusion, depending on the integrity of those reporting. He sits in front of the set, showing how he is the type of person who hijacks the quality of the news.

Lou has accumulated stories entitled “Horror in Echo Park,” or “Toddler Stabbed,” demonstrating the lurid nature of what he focuses on (interestingly, there is a billboard which is for eye glasses and has the words “Focus” on it, suggesting Lou’s moral focus is off. Also, IMDb says the sign may refer to the one in The Great Gatsby which advertises the work of the eye doctor, Dr. T. J. Eckleburg, which is a symbol for the failed vision of the American Dream. By the way, the “T. J.” part stands for Thomas Jefferson). Lou now has upgraded his ride to a brand-new muscle sports car, a Dodge Challenger, which can imply that he feels that he is now a contender fighting for the nightcrawler crown. Lou’s passive-aggressive style blindsides people. He first tells Rick that he likes how he has progressed, but then criticizes him for spilling gas while filling up his new vehicle, and calmly warns him he will terminate him immediately if he errs like that again.

“Making peace with what you don’t have, that’s what it’s all about,” is what Rick says as they ride in the car, which is what he has had to get used to. But, Lou obviously doesn’t ascribe to that notion, as he speeds off after hearing about a crash with injuries in an upscale neighborhood. It’s the kind of fear-mongering story that he has found sells. Lou sticks his camera in the face of the man, interfering with him trying to call 911. Now, Lou is no longer content with recording what he sees, he actually manipulates the scene, pulling the body of the victim to a spot that allows for more light so he can better photograph it. He doesn’t see his subjects as human beings to be respected. They are only objects for him to sensationalize with his invading lens. He is not above altering what he records to get the grizzly effect he desires. He tells Nina that he is focusing on “framing,” and adds, “A proper frame not only draws the eye into a picture, but keeps it there longer, dissolving the barrier between the subject and the outside of the frame.” He does not see the need to keep a professional distance between the observer and the subject. He literally is saying there should be no respectful boundaries between the two, and in fact is declaring that the only purpose of what is being recorded is to serve the recorder who joins the audience emotionally with the victim’s fate. He then asks Nina out, as he becomes more empowered and wants to satisfy more of his desires. She tells him it is inappropriate given their business relationship. Also, she points out that she is twice as old as him, which he says he doesn’t mind, since nothing is inappropriate to him as long as there is a bargaining process.

Loder catches up with Lou. His outfit is appropriately named “Mayhem,” since that’s what they film. He says he has been a nightcrawler for fifteen years and he says there are ups and downs, laying the groundwork for his offer of job security. He now tries to ingratiate himself with Lou, giving him the tip of uploading his work instead of wasting time dropping it off at the station. Lou, who at first was practically begging for a job from Loder, now seems aloof and dismissive as his success has increased. Loder says he has improved his own technology and now has a second van that he will use to cover the scenes even better, getting there first. He offers Lou the job of manning the second van, and even though his cut is less, they will make more money in volume. Loder is trying to show his dominance in the occupation, but he is also acknowledging Lou’s success as a competitor and wants to eliminate the competition by hiring him. Lou realizes that and flatly says no to the offer. Loder is angry and insulting saying that Lou should be grateful for the chance. Lou reverts to his passive-aggressive style as he calmly says that he wants to grab Loder by the ears and scream at him, “I’m not fucking interested,” but instead he will just go home and go over his accounts.

He does get Nina to have dinner with him, but his compliments are delivered like a list of what he has read in some online article, talking about how good she always looks, and adding that he likes her dark eye makeup and the way she smells. He does score points for saying Nina looks better than the young female at the station who delivers the news. He knows that she is from Philadelphia and says he can acquire a great deal of information about anyone, which sounds ominous in the hands of this invader and manipulator of privacy. After she asks if he wants to become a reporter to get airtime, he replies, in almost a monotone, that is not what he seeks. That goal is probably not successful monetarily enough, and way too intangibly driven for him. He wants to be the person who owns the TV station, and he must stay ahead of the competition, take risks (something he has demonstrated he has no problem with, even to the point of breaking the law), and expand the business by acquiring more capital. Without taking a breath he asks if she wants another margarita, since business and pleasure are all part of the same plan for him to become a successful entrepreneur.

Lou says he’s at the point that he wants a relationship that will coincide with job content and the hours. He says these things like it is just another item to check off his to-do list, with no emotion behind it, like a person pretending to be human. She wishes him well with finding such a partner, but says she only went out with him as a professional courtesy. He then negotiates, like he did at the scrapyard place and the pawn shop, only now it’s for sexual gratification. He backs up his boast of being a fast learner as he has studied the economics of the local news industry. He says he has single-handedly raised the book value of the TV station because although people say they listen to local news to get info, the overwhelming amount of airtime is devoted to the material he reports. And, with crime actually going down, the service he provides has become more valuable. He says he doesn’t have time dealing with “flirtationship,” and wants physical intimacy with her, just as she wants to keep her job and health insurance. Again, everything for him is a commodity, and he is saying that supplying her with his work can insure she will continue her livelihood, if she submits to him. She is angry that he insinuates that she needs him to keep her job. He counters that she is the news manager of the “vampire shift,” (an appropriate place for him to do his work), and that her station is the lowest rated one in LA. Just like with Rick, here he again preys on the most needy. He says that “I have to think you are interested in this transaction,” as he shows his coldness on a topic that usually involves physical passion. She tries to sway him by offering more money and getting him an additional job as a production assistant to learn the business from the inside. But he knows he has the upper hand, because his online research to discover vulnerabilities shows that she has had numerous two-year contracts at various places, so she has not established longevity in her employment. Her two years at the current station are coming up and the approaching ratings sweeps will determine her job situation, so she has no monetary clout to offer him given her probationary status. He adds to the business tone of his conversation by saying the true price of anything is determined by what someone will pay for it, basically saying she will acquire his services by paying in sexual favors. That stipulation sounds like the line that a Harvey Weinstein would deliver. He acts like he is also offering friendship, but she says friends don’t pressure friends to sleep with them. He disagrees and says, “a friend is a gift you give yourself.” He delivers this statement in a sweet tone and with a smile, as if a friendship is something to be cherished, but for him the emphasis is on self-gratification.

On the road with Rick, Lou is now a master of evaluating which event is more catastrophic and thus worthy of priority. He is resistant to Rick’s complaints about how Lou has put off giving him a raise, and Rick says he needs it because he’s living in a garage. For Lou, compassion is irrelevant, and says that Rick has no negotiating power since nobody else is trying to hire him away from Lou. He decides everything based on economic strengths and weaknesses. They arrive at a car accident with multiple fatalities, but Loder was already there and scored first. He gloats about how the event was great because of how horrible it was, and he has his other van covering a suicide jumper at the same time. His glee over cashing in on the devastation of others shows how we have entered a morally demonic, upside-down world.

At the station, Nina is livid about how the only footage Lou has provided is of a car crash and a stabbing, instead of an air crash elsewhere. She says she sold him as a ratings savior to her bosses, and she storms out demanding that she wants what he promised to deliver to her. Of course, her statement tells us that she agreed to Lou’s terms about having sex with him, and is now wanting her end of the deal upheld. Lou’s ambitiousness won’t tolerate this type of admonishment, and will spur him to transgress ethically even further.

When Lou hears the next day that the plane crash led the news on a competing channel, all pretense to calm calculation is ripped away. Lou ‘s face in the mirror of his medicine cabinet is one of a mad monster, as he screams and then slams at the reflection of the image of the failure he sees there. He goes to Loder’s place and sabotages his van. Later, after continuing his harsh criticism of Rick’s navigation, Lou wants to go to a reported car accident, surprising Rick who wonders why they are not checking out a rape, “like everybody else.” Apparently piling on the misery of a victim of sexual violence is the standard procedure for these nightcrawlers. But, Lou knows where he wants to be. Rick is shaken as they pull up to see that it is Loder’s van that has crashed into a pole. Rick says not to film it because “he’s one of us,” as he still holds onto some form of professionalism. That means nothing to Lou, who says Loder isn’t any longer part of their number, he’s “just a sale.” Lou has taken his idea of “staying ahead of the competition” to the point of violently terminating it, and more egregiously he then uses his crime to further his monetary gain. A bloody Loder sees Lou filming him, and probably realizes who is his tormentor. The irony is that Loder is now one of the stories he used to record. Lou no longer just tapes the pain and suffering happening in society, he creates it.

Lou and Rick then go to a home invasion, and arrive before the police. It is just the kind of story Nina talked about wanting, since it is an upscale estate. Lou hears gunshots and witnesses and records the perpetrators as they get into their vehicle and speed off. Lou approaches the residence and films an automatic weapon on the porch. He shoots (his camera is his version of a gun, causing its own type of harm) the blood on the floor and the victims. There is lullaby music in the nursery, adding to the sadness of the scene. He tapes a man on the floor as we hear him gasp for breath, while Lou shows no concern for this person. Rick, after the perpetrators leave, goes to the house and asks what’s going on. Emotionally detached Lou uses this macabre scene, in an extremely darkly funny way, to issue some advice about Rick not having gone inside the house shows a lack of initiative which is necessary to advance in his field. They speed away as the cops arrive. Wasting no time since he wants to beat any competition, Lou pulls over and uploads his footage to his laptop.

Lou goes to the station and calmly engages an angry Nina who is mad at him for not returning her calls if he didn’t have anything for her. He says he has a triple homicide, gives her the drive containing the video, and honestly states that he held off calling it into her to “increase” her “need” and his “bargaining position.” He follows the capitalistic playbook which glorifies the art of the deal, no matter how seedy the transaction. Nina is thrilled while looking at the video, but Frank is worried and looks at Lou with appropriate fear. Nina asks management how much can they show. She is asked does she mean legally, and Nina jokes and says no, “morally.” Of course she means legally, she says, as if doing the right thing is so irrelevant it shouldn’t even be considered. She may not think she is a match for Lou, but she already dwells in his ethical cellar. Nina says they can “pixelate” the faces and if they don’t divulge names and the exact location, they may be legally within bounds by not notifying the next of kin before airing in an expeditious manner. Of course, the news of the crime would soon become known and people will be able to put it all together, but maybe not before it is broadcast. Lou volunteers that he is the stringer who gave them the recording, which for him is a boast. But the others are asking what kind of person would film this horror movie?

Nina and Lou meet alone and he justifies his asking fifteen thousand for his work because of the racial and economic level of the violence, again putting a higher price tag on the deaths of privileged white people over those of impoverished people of color. When she says she can’t pay a month’s budget for one video, he says he will go to another station. He also says that the criminals are still out there, implying she will acquire ongoing compensation out of exploiting the fear of her viewers, which continues to show how he sees all human vulnerabilities as just opportunities to enhance wealth. He no longer tries to be even superficially polite. He tells her that he wants onscreen credit for his company. He demands to immediately meet with the whole station workforce and develop his own relationships with them. This request is most likely part of his plan to take over the station, as he stated at their first date. He also requires that they no longer waste time with haggling, which was his prior strategy. Whatever payments he asks for he wants with no questions asked, and he makes it clear that also goes for his demands at their sexual encounters. To sweeten the deal, he says he will throw in his footage of Loder’s accident for free, as if the footage of the man’s injuries is a perk.

To show how she has complied with his conditions, the next scene show Nina introducing Lou to those in charge. They call the home invasion “Horror House.” They will get extensive ratings by showing bits of the video throughout the day. Nina keeps telling the anchors to emphasize that the killers are out there and can attack again to stoke the fears of the viewing audience. They don’t even reveal that there was no baby in the crib, but want the audience to feel the fear that maybe they will be seeing a dead child, and only after the camera actually reveals the crib do they offer the relief that it is empty. The false cover story to protect against legal action is that Lou arrived to offer help and discovered the crimes. They receive information that the police are angry about the footage, and Lou welcomes the chance to deal with the police to sell his story of assistance and also to get more personal attention.

Police detectives show up at Lou’s home. He is very polite with the cops. He does say that he saw two men escape in a dark SUV. He reports he didn’t photograph them (a lie) and gives the police a doctored version that does not show the perpetrators. Later, in private, he identifies one of the killers by the license plate of the vehicle. He tells Rick that he also didn’t reveal that the male victim was still alive when he arrived, or else his story of wanting to help would be discovered as a lie. He tells Rick that they are going to visit the criminal he identified. He tells Rick that he will tell the cops about the man after he scoops the story. He tells Rick that he wants him to fulfill his potential and he will make him a vice-president in his video company, which is just a sales pitch, given that there are only two of them working. He does agree to a seventy-five dollar a night raise. He wants to again exploit Rick’s marginal existence in order to have him participate in a dangerous situation. Even though there is a $50,000 reward for catching the killers, he then will use the footage of the cops trying to apprehend the killer to sell the video. Rick now demands more money. He has learned negotiation techniques from Lou. He wants half of the reward because he can tell the cops that Lou hid information, and now is setting up a situation where he can profit from what he withheld and film the confrontation. Lou agrees, and Rick says that now he will go the “extra mile” since he is properly treated. But, despite supposedly gaining a bigger cut of the money, he knows that Lou is a person who has no compassion toward others, and he tells his boss that he’s “messed up” and doesn’t understand people.

They follow the killer when he drives away and later when he picks up his partner. Lou calls 911 and gives a description of the men at the restaurant they visit. He says one is armed so as to increase the possibility of confrontation with the police. There are six people in the restaurant, which will make what he films even more gruesome as Lou uses others to increase the violence factor so he can demand more for his footage. He wants Rick to shoot his video at another spot on the street. Rick sees how depraved Lou is and refuses, cursing Lou for his scheme. Lou scolds him for using obscene language toward his employer, as if that is the real infraction here. Lou then says that it isn’t that he doesn’t “understand” people, he just doesn’t “like them.” After what we have witnessed, we can easily buy indifference, but here Lou shows his distaste for everyone. Since he has hurt people before to obtain his goals, Lou now threatens to harm Rick for going back on his commitment. The intimidated Rick leaves with a camera to shoot from a different angle.

Police arrive on the scene. The killers start shooting and one of the cops is hit as well as one killer. The other one, though wounded, escapes and a high-speed chase follows with Lou in pursuit. There are collisions with innocent people involved, all acceptable collateral damage for Lou, and actually just more chaos for him to record. When a cop car collides with the SUV, Lou stops his car and lies to Rick, telling him to film the “dead” killer. Lou knows the man is still alive and as Rick approaches the vehicle, the criminal shoots Rick multiple times. Just when you don’t think Lou can get any slimier, he reveals how evil he is by eliminating his disgruntled employee and making him part of Lou’s orchestrated reality TV show of violence.

While Lou is still filming, the police arrive and exchange gunfire, killing the criminal. The ghoulish Lou goes in for a close-up of the dying Rick, as he did with Loder, and the man in the home invasion. Rick knows that Lou knew that the killer would shoot him. With a bottom-line, business rationale, Lou justifies his actions by saying to Rick he couldn’t jeopardize his company by retaining an “unreliable employee” who would use his bargaining power against him again. For Lou, like other criminals who are threatened by those that know of their wrongdoings and are no longer compliant, firing them actually means inflicting a death sentence. Before the cops can see Rick’s association with Lou, he relieves the dead man of his video equipment, and in the process recovers the tools of his despicable trade.

Lou enters the newsroom and he knows everyone by their first names now and schmoozes with them. As he wanted, they know his name and his video outfit. Nina is alone screening the video and she is almost orgasmic at the footage of Lou showing his own partner dying, calling it amazing. She says she wants “it,” as she is almost within lip touching distance with Lou. The “it” means the video, but it can also have sexual connotations as these two get off on the insidious nature of their jobs. The police show up demanding the recording as evidence of multiple deaths and injuries. Nina says that the video belongs to the station. The policewoman asks where they acquired it, and Nina says it was from an independent source, and says they have to talk to Lou if they have a problem.

Meanwhile, Frank tells Nina that the so-called “home invasion” was no such thing, as a large supply of drugs was found at the house. So, it was a drug-related crime, not a targeting of an affluent, law-abiding family. Nina wants to bury the truth because it “detracts” from the story. In this case “story” is the right word, because she is selling fiction and passing it off for truth to feed the baser drives of the viewership. She says the story they are promoting is that urban crime is creeping into the suburbs. If the facts don’t fit the headline, then they just obscure those facts. Frank says that she sounds like Lou, who she says, “inspires them to reach a little higher.” In this case, “higher” is definitely ironic, because in truth, they are diving lower in terms of ethical behavior.

Lou is questioned by the police. He is very aware that he is being recorded, even noting the type of lens used, which shows he knows how to handle himself in situations where a camera is involved. He covers up his saying previously that he didn’t see the men at the house “invasion” by relating that he noticed the SUV parked near his apartment. He says the killers then followed him and Rick. However, he says he lost them, and followed the SUV to the restaurant, calling the police when he saw one of the men had a gun. He says they must have discovered he contributed the footage of their crimes to the station and tracked him down. He says that seeing them again triggered his memory and he recognized them. Detective Frontieri (Michael Hyatt) is not buying his story. She insightfully says he sat on the evidence so he could get more footage to sell. His robot response is that her accusation would be beneath his professionalism, but we know Lou does not have that attribute. She knows he is lying and conspired in his partner’s murder. She points out his coldness about Rick’s death, as he even photographed the dying man. Lou calmly says Rick died doing what he loved, which sounds like a platitude he read somewhere since Lou is not capable of genuine emotion. He says he was doing his job by filming the mayhem, and with a sadistic smile tells the detective, “I’d like to think if you’re seeing me you’re having the worst day of your life.” That statement makes him a sort of angel of death. He then looks scarily right into the camera, appearing a bit like Norman Bates at the end of Psycho.

Lou walks away since there is no direct evidence showing he is lying. The camera focuses in on that same watch that he stole after attacking the man during his first act of violence, and shows us how far he has come in his quest to increase his monetary net worth at the expense of others. He now has interns and addresses them with a rousing speech that ends by him saying, “I will never ask you to do anything that I wouldn’t do myself.” It is a frightening prospect that this video prince of darkness now has his minions. According to IMDb, director Gilroy said that the last shot of Lou’s vans driving off in different directions through the streets of LA show, “the infection spreading through the veins of the city.” To borrow a quote from another horror film, “Be afraid. Be very afraid.”

The next film is Serpico.