Bold Films/Kobal/ShutterstockThere are roughly four gazillion true crime podcasts and documentaries available today, and if that’s not enough for you to consume, you could always take a true crime cruise. This morbid industry was presaged by the 2014 movie Nightcrawler, which follows freelancer Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) as he goes to greater and greater lengths to film bloody events and sell them to TV stations. Now, Nightcrawler has a new 4K Blu-ray release from Shout Factory’s Select label, and it’s arriving at the perfect time. Not only did its writer and director, Dan Gilroy, recently do great work on Andor, but a movie that echoes Nightcrawler’s strange, dark world is about to take over theaters next month. How Was Nightcrawler Received? Nightcrawler was lauded by critics, making over 30 top-ten lists at the end of 2014, and Gyllenhaal’s performance was considered a particular highlight. “Here, he both transforms and transcends,” Dan Jolin wrote for Empire. “As Lou Bloom he is pale and wired, looking less gaunt than stretched. He talks in a nasal, high-register patter, reeling off his careerist jargon in a way that is borderline comedic, but for the edge he gives it. Gilroy provides no backstory for Bloom; it is Gyllenhaal’s performance that fills in the cracks.”Writer and director Dan Gilroy was also praised for his fast-paced script, and it’s not uncommon to see Nightcrawler used in screenwriting classes. “Nightcrawler curves and hisses its way into your head with demonic skill,” Peter Travers wrote in his review for Rolling Stone. “When the laughs come, they stick in your throat. This is a deliciously twisted piece of work.” Gilroy’s direction was also praised. At the time, he was best known as the screenwriter of middling movies like Real Steel and The Bourne Legacy, but now he’s also known for writing some of the most acclaimed episodes of Andor, created by his brother Tony Gilroy. Nightcrawler was certainly a huge step in the right direction. Jake Gyllenhaal is the unsettling star of Nightcrawler. | Bold Films/Kobal/ShutterstockWhy Is Nightcrawler Worth Watching Now? Nightcrawler is an amazing feat just on its own merits, full of lush visuals, a gripping story, and a protagonist who’s a force to be reckoned with. Then there are the performances, led by Gyllenhaal but supported by strong turns from Riz Ahmed, Lou’s underpaid assistant, and Rene Russo, Gilroy’s wife, as Lou’s boss. Even the electronic soundtrack by acclaimed composer James Newton Howard is a revelation, as it turns Lou’s journey into a sort of perverse triumph. But Nightcrawler is especially relevant now thanks to an upcoming movie: Primetime, starring Robert Pattinson as Chris Hansen, host of the real-life true-crime series To Catch A Predator. Like Lou Bloom, Primetime’s Hansen is hyperaware of TV’s love of the gritty and gory, and he’s unafraid to do whatever it takes to satisfy that love, even if that means stepping into some very grey areas. Primetime looks like Nightcrawler’s spiritual successor, so before you check it out, watch this 2014 classic to see how they compare. The crime-as-entertainment tone of Nightcrawler remains prescient. | Bold Films/Kobal/ShutterstockWhat Special Features Does The Nightcrawler 4K Blu-Ray Have? The new 4K UHD and Blu-ray edition of Nightcrawler contains two discs with the following special features: 4K Scan from the Original DI Film NegativePresented in Dolby Vision and Dolby AtmosAudio Commentary with Film Historian Joe von AppenAudio Commentary with Writer/Director Dan Gilroy, Producer Tony Gilroy, and Editor John GilroyScoring Nightcrawler—Interview with Composer James Newton HowardIf It Bleeds, It Leads: Making NightcrawlerTrailerNightcrawler - Collector's Edition 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray