The city of Los Angeles is getting a triple-tap of satire this fall with David Cronenberg’s dysfunctional family drama Maps the the Stars, Paul Thomas Anderson’s off-beat detective tale Inherent Vice, and Dan Gilroy’s directorial debut Nightcrawler. In the latter film, Jake Gyllenhaal plays Lou Bloom, an eager but morally bankrupt TV crime journalist whose hunger for shocking footage brings him a little bit too close to his subject matter.

Co-starring Riz Ahmed (Four Lions) as Lou’s wide-eyed assistant Rick, Nightcrawler was both written and directed by Gilroy, whose past screenwriting credits include The Bourne Legacy and Real Steel. Despite the somewhat confusing title, Nightcrawler has no connection to the X-Men universe (unless, of course, Nightcrawler himself shows up in a twist ending).

As the subject matter might suggest, Nightcrawler will release with an R rating and a new red band trailer features a few hints of gore and a whole lot of swearing from both the film’s cast and from the early reviews. Lou is seen discussing his ghoulish work with a cheery lack of empathy, and it definitely seems like Gyllenhaal’s performance will be the big draw for this film.

Trailers with accolades can often be misleading, but the reviews for Nightcrawler so far have been overwhelmingly positive. Empire described it as “this year’s Drive” while The Guardian called it a “ghoulish and wickedly funny satire on journalism.” Not everyone was completely enamored, however; Variety‘s review criticized Nightcrawler for its tone of “strident, finger-wagging self-seriousness.”

Lou’s motto is “if you want to win the lottery you have to make the money to buy a ticket,” but it looks like he’s willing to go a lot farther than most in the pursuit of that ticket. For a more extended look at the story check out the full-length trailer that was released earlier this year, and let us know in the comments if Nightcrawler has made it onto your list of must-see movies this fall.

Nightcrawler arrives in theaters on October 31, 2014.

http://screenrant.com/nightcrawler-red-band-trailer/