Unless you’re in charge of your
own career, Gilroy seems to be
suggesting, you’re always going
to have to prostitute yourself. As
a journeyman screenwriter, I’m
sure Gilroy has had to make a lot
of compromises along the way
before finally establishing enough
clout to be awarded a stab at directing one of his own scripts.
Freelancers from every trade will
tell you the satisfaction of cashing
a check earned for yourself rather
than for an employer, and Gilroy
sells the thrill of discovering you
just might be able to strike out on
New Jersey Stage
your own, as Bloom builds up a
collection of commissioned news
segments, labelling the footage
on his hard drive with lurid titles
like ‘Horror House’.
Gyllenhaal is one of America’s
most under-rated performers,
and has generally chosen interesting roles, without falling into
the John ny Depp trap of essaying caricatures. Lou Bloom is the
role of his career, and he has created a chilling portrait of a narcissist. The actor shed considerable
weight for the role, and with his
sunken eye-sockets and tightened
October 2014
pg 46