2010’s “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” was maybe the best thing that ever happened to actor Jake Gyllenhaal. Like other leading men pressured to audition for big money tentpole roles, Gyllenhaal finally took a part in a would-be four quadrant blockbuster and saw it flop miserably. The experience seemed to create resolve within an actor who had already been building a credible CV with filmmakers like Ang Lee, Sam Mendes, David Fincher and Jim Sheridan. Perhaps he realized that the art of genuine acting, no matter the size of the picture, would make him happiest (theater experiences probably helped). Since then he’s flourished. The actor shined brightly in pictures like "End of Watch," "Prisoners" and "Enemy," as if he was undergoing an acting rebirth.
That revitalization appears to be ongoing with Gyllenhaal’s latest project “Nightcrawler.” The directorial debut of screenwriter turned filmmaker Dan Gilroy (co-writer of “The Bourne Legacy,” the author of “Chasers,” “Freejack”), the picture is a thriller set in the nocturnal underbelly covered by crime journalists in Los Angeles. Gyllenhaal plays a broke and desperate man who joins a brash and bloodsporting group of freelance cameramen who chase and film murders, crashes and other mayhem for the sake of a quick and adrenaline-filled buck. But the character unexpectedly finds himself at the center of his own story.
"Nightcrawler" co-stars Rene Russo, Bill Paxton, Riz Ahmed and release has now been pushed up two weeks, so now it arrives in theaters on October 31. The movie will make its world premiere at TIFF this September. Watch the new trailer below.