I watched Nightcrawler at 11am on Halloween morning and I sit here, three days later, still thinking about Jake Gyllenhaal’s vicious characterization of Louis Bloom.

Aside from Jake delivering, what I think is the performance of his career, the movie is a beautifully shot, sick love letter to the greater city of Los Angeles. As a native Angeleno, I was thrilled to see some well-known spots (Dinah’s!) and freeways (105!) showcased under the brilliant cinematography of Jake Gyllenhaal’s real-life godfather, Robert Elswit (who is also the DP of the upcoming and highly anticipated Inherent Vice). I have never seen my city presented in such a bizarre and sexy manner.

Nightcrawler tells the story of Lou Bloom, a late twenties, sweet-talking yet mildly threatening, gaunt, poster child for entrepreneurship in the digital age. Lou is well-read and forever waiting for the opportunity to make the proper pitch or sell a compliment. We watch with baited breath as Lou plots, devises, steals, and manipulates his way to get anything and everything he wants, with Gyllenhaal delivering some of the most memorable lines of evil dialogue, accompanied by the scariest twinkle in his bulging eyes.

I don’t think it’s always necessary to undergo a transformation like Christian Bale’s in The Machinist, but the 30-pound weight loss that Gyllenhaal achieves completely serves the character and the performance.

You wait tensely in the audience for the invisible leash that holds Bloom back from destroying everyone to snap. In the midst of all the chaos, a dark, twisted humor pervades nearly every scene, including one of the most soul-piercing moments, notably those featuring Renee Russo in a comeback role as the desperate news director in a fledgling time slot.

Hey, Hollywood: Russo is as good as ever and needs more roles. Enough with the ageism, I want to see some more seasoned actresses on the big screen.

After spending so many years wondering which direction Gyllenhaal would take his career, I am so happy that I decided to give Nightcrawler a shot. It is a return to glory from the fantastic actor who gave us such memorable characters as Donnie Darko, Jack Twist (Brokeback Mountain), Detective Loki (Prisoners), and Anthony Swofford (Jarhead).

I only hope that when award season arrives, Gyllenhaal takes home a top prize, so that more movies like Nightcrawler can be made.