Bloom In Nightcrawler

In the film Nightcrawler, Dan Gilroy, implements strong characterization around the main character Louis Bloom, who battles with mastering the craft of being a stinger in Los Angeles. Gilroy characterizes Bloom in a very particular way, in which Bloom can be portrayed as a dark sociopath or an idol/master of his craft. The fact that a person can be portrayed as two polar opposite concepts is very intriguing, and it is primarily due to the particular mood of the viewer. If the viewer is happy, he/she may view Bloom as a master of his craft, but if the viewer isn’t so happy then he/she may view Bloom as a monster of a human being. Furthermore, if the viewer is ambivalent then they may perceive Bloom as the embodiment of what is wrong with the
Phronesis is essentially the openness and receptivity to whatever a situation calls for. Odysseus’ phronesis is out of his control and is his patron god, Athena’s doing. In threatening times, Odysseus’ actions are drawn from the gods rather than from his subconscious because that is the what Homer and the Ancient Greeks believed. Homer writes, “He had been flayed there, and his bones broken, had not grey-eyed Athena instructed him: both hands were put into motion” (Book I). This quote shows that in a near death situation, Odysseus’ decision making was all due to Athena, and her wisdom. In contrast, Bloom’s phronesis merely comes from his subconscious. Bloom is an obsessive and emotionless person whom gets caught up in the flow and process of his work being a stinger; so much so that in quick action times, his skill set withdraws completely, leaving him to act without hesitation or thinking. In the movie, Bloom says to his dying partner Rick, “I can’t jeopardize the company’s success to retain an untrustworthy employee” (Gilroy). This shows how emotionless Bloom actually is, and his actions prior to the quote show how he made a life or death decision without hesitation or much thought. Bloom says those lines to help justify his reasoning, when in reality it’s not a good reason at all for someone to die. Odysseus and Bloom are two very different characters in two very different stories. The Odyssey is the journey and struggles of a hero making it home from war, and Nightcrawler is the portrayal of a misanthropic sociopath who attempts to master the skill of being a stinger. The characters and plots couldn’t be more different, but both main characters share the commonality of phronesis, which one can further argue that since they share this trait, Louis Bloom could even be considered a hero of some sort depending on the mood