As Lou becomes more and more obsessed with capturing the perfect footage, he starts to disregard moral boundaries and takes risks that put himself and others in harm's way. His obsession leads him to form a partnership with Joe Loder (Riz Ahmed), a seasoned nightcrawler who becomes both a mentor and a rival.

The movie begins with Lou, a struggling man who works at a salvage yard, witnessing a car crash and seeing the footage of the accident on the news. This sparks his interest in becoming a nightcrawler, someone who captures footage of accidents and crimes for local news stations. He starts his journey by purchasing a police scanner and a van equipped with camera gear.

"Nightcrawler" is a thought-provoking and unsettling thriller that explores the dark side of human nature, ambition, and the obsession with violence and fame. The film follows the story of Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal), a young and driven man who becomes fascinated with capturing violent and gruesome footage for a local news station in Los Angeles.