Nightcrawler is a 2014 American neo-noir crime thriller film written and directed by Dan Gilroy in his directorial debut. The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a former thief who starts shooting live footage of accidents and crimes in Los Angeles, though secretly sabotoging crime scenes and other reporters, selling the content to local news channels as a stringer. It features Rene Russo, Riz Ahmed, and Bill Paxton.