Jake Gyllenhaal commands the screen as a driven -- OK, obsessive -- crime reporter in the first trailer for Dan Gilroy's Nightcrawler. The A.V. Club describes its vibe as “paparazzo Taxi Driver,” and it's difficult to argue with that as Gyllenhaal's eye grow wider and his narration from soothing to manic over the course of a minute and a half.

The film, which marks the directorial debut of screenwriter Gilroy (The Fall, The Bourne Legacy), also stars Bill Paxton, Rene Russo and Riz Ahmed. It opens Oct. 17.