Louis Bloom

Louis Bloom is the antihero of the 2014 film Nightcrawler, written and directed by Dan Gilroy

He is portrayed by Jake Gyllenhaal, who is better known for his performances as the title character in Donnie Darko (2001), Jack Twist in Brokeback Mountain (2005), and Adam/Anthony in Enemy (2014).

Biography
At the film's beginning, Louis steals metal to sell for scrap, but is rebuffed by his current seller when he asks for more money in return. On his way home, Louis encounters a violent, fiery car crash that becomes filmed by Joe, a freelance cameraman who plans to sell his footage to the news for profit. Upon seeing the video on the local news, he sells a stolen bicycle to purchase a camera and police radio.

As he begins this new path, he manages to only find and film petty crimes where he is pushed away by the police on location. One night, he manages to get a close, intimate shot of a shooting victim before he and another cameraman onsite are shooed away. He brings the footage to a small, local news outlet, where the footage is positively received by Nina, the channel's program director. However, the video resolution quality is lacking and she gives him a small compensation nonetheless. Louis is not easily deterred.

Listening to his radio, he manages to decipher police codes for various crimes and films the more severe ones, quickly gaining more money for better equipment. He hires an assistant, Rick, to handle directions and act as a second cameraman when necessary. Rick proves to be moderately inept, unable to give directions with Louis's erratic, arguably-illegal driving maneuvers and speeds.

One night, Louis and Rick drive to a home where a shooting had occured. Louis passes Joe, who says that there's nothing left to film, as they have both shown up late. Louis, however, manages to sneak into the home and capture the home's owners talking to the police through a bullet-riddled window, also going as far to rearrange the photos on the family's fridge to compose a better shot. Nina is stunned by the increase in quality, growing to respect Louis.

With the increase in profit, Louis purchases state-of-the-art camcorders, a new car, and higher-quality police scanners and radios. One night, Louis and Rick manage to arrive on the scene of a horrific car crash before the police could arrive. There, Louis moves the body from its original spot so that he can shoot a better angle and shot sequence. That same night, while watching Louis's ever-impressive footage, Louis asks Nina to dinner, threatening to quit working for her if she refuses. During their extremely uncomfortable dinner, Louis comes on sexually to Nina, who reminds her of the fact that her contract with the news station, which is soon due to expire, hinges on the ratings gained from Louis's videos, and he threatens to leave if she doesn't accept his advances.

Joe approaches Louis, who wants him to work for him, but Louis rejects his offers, preferring to work and run things himself, straining their relationship further. That night, Rick leads Louis through a busy street, making them late for filming a deadly plane crash. Joe insults Louis as he boasts about his footage. With nothing to give Nina that night, she angrilly berates him for his supposed laziness. This hiccup greatly upsets Louis, who resorts to sabotaging Joe's van, which crashes and violently injures him, giving new footage for Louis without the pressure of competition.

One night, Louis and Rick drive to a lavish home where a shooting is going on. Louis manages to film the two perpetrators and the license plate of their car as they enter their vehicle and drive away from the site. He then sneaks inside through the ajar door, finding a discarded shotgun and the bloodied corpses of three people inside. Rick manages to get Louis out before the police arrive, and is nonetheless scolded for his lack of assistance.

Upon seeing Louis's footage, her faith in him is restored, only to be shattered again when he asks for an outlandish price for it all. He urges her to give in to his offer, saying that he can continue the story now that the murderers are at large and can increase viewership by being the station with the most access to the terrifying crime. He manages to convince her by throwing in footage of a pettier crime for free.

The next morning, he is interrogated in his home by the police, who tracked the footage to him, requesting for a copy. He tells them his story: he never got footage of the two killers and could not identify them or the specifics of their vehicle. That night, he talks with Rick, who is becoming more wary and untrusting of Louis and his practices. Louis convinces him to stay by giving him a 200% raise and a positive evaluation.

The two of them track down the vehicle of the two murderers and their residence, prepared to create a story. Rick, suddenly realizing what Louis is planning, demands that he be given half of the reward for turning the two murderers in, becoming extremly uncomfortable with the illegal act that Louis is about to commit. After following the vehicle after it picks up the other man and stops at a restaurant populated with innocent bystanders, Louis calls 911 to alert them about the mens' location. Against his wishes, though threatened with physical violence by Louis, Rick films the restaurant from another angle further down the street, prepared for the inevitable shootout that's about to occur.

Four police enter the restaurant and the two men open fire, killing several people, including patrons, a cop, and one of the gunmen. One manages to escape to the vehicle, and the police, along with Louis and Rick give chase. As Louis drives, Rick captures as the police crash into other vehicles as they cross the street. Eventually, the vehicle is stopped by a police car, causing both to flip. Louis stops his car and films the scene, confirming that the driver is dead. When Rick goes to film the driver, it's revealed that he's still alive and shoots him several times in the chest. After looking at Louis, who continues to film him, the police arrive and gun him down.

Louis approaches the dying Rick, telling him that he couldn't afford to keep him around, as his demands for more money were not sufficient to Louis's needs.