Nightcrawler (2014)

Psychopaths, according to British journalist Jon Ronson in The Psychopath Test, aren’t all violent criminals. The hallmark traits — lack of impulse control, emotion and remorse — are just as advantageous for gaining market share and reaping profits as for killing sprees. In fact, compared to the population at large, CEOs are four times more likely to test positive for psychopathy.

The brutal beating of a security guard at the outset of Nightcrawler lets us know which type of psychopath we’re dealing with in screenwriter Dan Gilroy’s directorial debut. But Jake Gyllenhaal’s unblinking portrayal of the film’s heavy, Leo Bloom, also includes robot-like recitations of business jargon and corporate buzzwords, creating a monster more chilling than violence alone could spawn. Read the full review here.