'Nightcrawler' tries to define what's wrong with news

Everyone knows the news media in America is messed up.

Bias, sensationalism, selling out to corporate or government interests (or both), sound-bite mentality and the blurring of lines between entertainment and truth-seeking have devastated the reputation of Fourth Estate.

But can Hollywood actually prescribe the cure?

The new film in theaters, "Nightcrawler," starring a never-been-better Jake Gyllenhaal as a late-night, free-lance video journalist, gives audiences a cautionary tale of media coverage gone very, very wrong.

Gyllenhaal stars as Louis Bloom, an oddly disturbing little man who pursues his ambition of being a video journalist with an almost autistic disregard for inhibition and an eerie disregard for integrity. Finding a niche in the underbelly of television news' need for sensational coverage, Bloom grows from amateur wannabe to indispensible driving force – a transition that becomes more and more terrifying as the story progresses.

TRENDING: Rush Limbaugh: Hundreds dead today 'due to Biden's mishandling of virus'

The movie itself starts a bit slow, but builds to a thrilling finale. "Nightcrawler" is surprisingly original and clever, Gyllenhaal is mesmerizing in his role, and the movie features one of the most exciting car chases I've ever seen on film.

It may be a bit too dark for many audiences, but as a work of art, "Nightcrawler" is a winner.

As a cultural commentary, however, which the movie clearly is trying to be … "Nightcrawler" can't help but reflect the leftist worldview from which it came.

Over and over again, the script pushes the idea that what's corrupting the media is the public's racist disregard for crime in poor neighborhoods and that what the people really want is horrifying, gruesome proof that minorities are invading wealthy, white neighborhoods.

Compounding this problem is the need for TV stations to make money, forcing news editors down ever-more compromising paths.

"Journalistically and ethically," the movie's only voice of reason warns, "we are beyond all standards."

But I question whether "Nightcrawler" correctly diagnosed the media's disease.

Racism and "upper classism" may be the favorite bogeymen of Hollywood and members of the press themselves, but I'd argue the problem with the media … is Hollywood and the members of the press themselves.

America's entertainment industry and newsrooms are filled with like-minded folks of the same political party (Democrat), religion (or lack thereof) and worldview (naturalist, secular humanism with a bent toward socialism) – to the blatant exclusion of differing opinion. Both actors and journalists who have dared bare their Republican or Christian colors have reported facing blacklisting and social persecution.

In other words, there are a lot of folks governing what America sees on TV who are willfully blind to the Truth.

And if those whose job is to illustrate, discover and report on the truth would rather argue it away than accept it … it's no wonder the news is broken.

Of course, "Nightcrawler" is blind to that truth as well. It's a good movie. It's a great performance by Gyllenhaal. It's interesting to watch. But it really isn't very enlightening on the question of what's wrong with the news.

Content advisory:

• "Nightcrawler," rated R, contains roughly 100 obscenities and profanities, many of the harsher variety.
• The movie contains a few, graphically sexual lines of dialogue and implied sexual relationships, but there is no nudity or romantic/sexual scenes.
• There is some significantly graphic, bloody imagery in "Nightcrawler," as Bloom films some of the most sensationalist content he can find. There's also a few scenes of minor violence, some gunfire and one, prolonged and violent car chase. A couple of characters are shot dead on screen.
• The film has no overt religious or occult content.