Top 28 Jake Gyllenhaal Movies RANKED
Jake Gyllenhaal is one of the greatest actors of the 21st century. Despite starring in dozens of award-winning hits, Gyllenhaal has not only never won, but he has only ever received one nomination at the Oscars.
In January 2021, I watched all 25 movies Gyllenhaal had starred in at the time. Here is my updated ranking of his best to worst movies based on his performance & the overall rating of the film.
In January 2021, I watched all 25 movies Gyllenhaal had starred in at the time. Here is my updated ranking of his best to worst movies based on his performance & the overall rating of the film.
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28 titles
- DirectorDan GilroyStarsJake GyllenhaalRene RussoBill PaxtonWhen Louis Bloom, a con man desperate for work, muscles into the world of L.A. crime journalism, he blurs the line between observer and participant to become the star of his own story.100/10
Gyllenhaal gives an Oscar-worthy performance as Louis Bloom, an ambitious sociopath who is capable of doing anything for his new business.
"He stumbles into a new career as a cameraman and -- armed with a camcorder and police scanner -- begins nocturnal forays across the city in search of shocking and grisly crimes." - DirectorDavid AyerStarsJake GyllenhaalMichael PeñaAnna KendrickShot documentary-style, this film follows the daily grind of two young police officers in LA who are partners and friends and what happens when they meet criminal forces greater than themselves.100/10
This lost film-style movie is a work of art from start to finish. Gyllenhaal plays Brian Taylor, a risk-taker who films everything he and his partner experience as L.A. police officers.
"End of Watch is a visceral story of beat cops that is rare in its sensitivity, rash in its violence and raw in its humor. The story is, in a way, an ordinary one — regular cops who aren’t corrupt, guys who chalk up any heroics to just doing their job."
- L.A. Times - DirectorSam MendesStarsJake GyllenhaalJamie FoxxLucas BlackA psychological study of Marine's state of mind during the Gulf War. Told through the eyes of a U.S. Marine sniper who struggles to cope with boredom, a sense of isolation, and other issues back home.100/10
This brilliant war movie follows Anthony Swofford from enlistment during the Gulf War to life after serving in the military. It's based on a 2003 memoir by U.S. marine Anthony Swofforrd.
"It contains no heroism, little action, no easy laughs. It is about men who are exhausted, bored, lonely, trained to the point of obsession and given no opportunity to use their training." - DirectorAng LeeStarsJake GyllenhaalHeath LedgerMichelle WilliamsEnnis and Jack are two shepherds who develop a sexual and emotional relationship. Their relationship becomes complicated when both of them get married to their respective girlfriends.9.5/10
Gyllenhaal portrays Jack Twist in this incredible film about a complex relationship between two men who meet when they find work sheep-herding for the summer on Brokeback Mountain during the 1960's.
"With its emotional depth and poignant portrayal of forbidden love, it captivates readers, eliciting both empathy and reflection." - DirectorDuncan JonesStarsJake GyllenhaalMichelle MonaghanVera FarmigaA soldier wakes up in someone else's body and discovers he's part of an experimental government program to find the bomber of a commuter train within 8 minutes.9.3/10
This mind-bending classic follows helicopter pilot Colter Stevens on a top-secret military operation that enables him to experience the last few minutes in the life of another man.
"It doesn’t take long for Source Code to hook you. The actors are nicely matched, and what a relief to like a new movie with Mr. Gyllenhaal after a run of groaners. In a sympathetic turn, he hits the dark and light notes right, bringing subtle differences to his performance."
- NY Times - DirectorDavid Gordon GreenStarsJake GyllenhaalTatiana MaslanyMiranda RichardsonStronger is the inspiring real life story of Jeff Bauman, an ordinary man who captured the hearts of his city and the world to become a symbol of hope after surviving the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.
- DirectorDavid FincherStarsJake GyllenhaalRobert Downey Jr.Mark RuffaloBetween 1968 and 1983, a San Francisco cartoonist becomes an amateur detective obsessed with tracking down the Zodiac Killer, an unidentified individual who terrorizes Northern California with a killing spree.
- DirectorDenis VilleneuveStarsHugh JackmanJake GyllenhaalViola DavisWhen Keller Dover's daughter and her friend go missing, he takes matters into his own hands as the police pursue multiple leads and the pressure mounts.
- DirectorAntoine FuquaStarsJake GyllenhaalRachel McAdamsOona LaurenceAfter a fatal incident sends him on a rampant path of destruction, a champion boxer fights to get custody of his daughter and revive his professional career.
- DirectorDaniel EspinosaStarsJake GyllenhaalRebecca FergusonRyan ReynoldsA team of scientists aboard the International Space Station discover a rapidly evolving life form that caused extinction on Mars and now threatens all life on Earth.
- DirectorBong Joon HoStarsTilda SwintonPaul DanoAhn Seo-hyunA young girl risks everything to prevent a powerful, multinational company from kidnapping her best friend - a fascinating beast named Okja.
- DirectorDoug LimanStarsJake GyllenhaalDaniela MelchiorConor McGregorEx-UFC fighter Dalton takes a job as a bouncer at a Florida Keys roadhouse, only to discover that this paradise is not all it seems.
- DirectorRichard KellyStarsJake GyllenhaalJena MaloneMary McDonnellAfter narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a man in a large rabbit suit who manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.
- DirectorEdward ZwickStarsJake GyllenhaalAnne HathawayJudy GreerIn 1990s Pittsburgh, a medicine peddler starts a relationship with a young woman suffering from Parkinson's disease.
- DirectorJean-Marc ValléeStarsJake GyllenhaalNaomi WattsChris CooperA successful investment banker struggles after losing his wife in a tragic car crash. With the help of a customer service rep and her young son, he starts to rebuild, beginning with the demolition of the life he once knew.
- DirectorDenis VilleneuveStarsJake GyllenhaalMélanie LaurentSarah GadonA man seeks out his exact look-alike after spotting him in a movie.
- DirectorRoland EmmerichStarsDennis QuaidJake GyllenhaalEmmy RossumJack Hall, paleoclimatologist, must make a daring trek from Washington, D.C. to New York City to reach his son, trapped in the cross-hairs of a sudden international storm which plunges the planet into a new Ice Age.
- DirectorJim SheridanStarsJake GyllenhaalNatalie PortmanTobey MaguireWhile on tour in Afghanistan, Sam's helicopter is shot down and he is presumed dead. Back home, it is his screw-up brother who looks after the family. Sam does return, but with a lot of excess baggage.
- DirectorJoe JohnstonStarsJake GyllenhaalChris CooperLaura DernThe true story of Homer Hickam, a coal miner's son who was inspired by the first Sputnik launch to take up rocketry against his father's wishes.
- DirectorTom FordStarsAmy AdamsJake GyllenhaalMichael ShannonA wealthy art gallery owner is haunted by her ex-husband's novel, a violent thriller she interprets as a symbolic revenge tale.
- DirectorJohn MaddenStarsGwyneth PaltrowAnthony HopkinsHope DavisThe daughter of a brilliant but mentally disturbed mathematician, recently deceased, tries to come to grips with her possible inheritance: his insanity. Complicating matters are one of her father's ex-students, who wants to search through his papers, and her estranged sister, who shows up to help settle his affairs.
- DirectorDan GilroyStarsJake GyllenhaalRene RussoZawe AshtonA thriller about the contemporary art scene of Los Angeles, where big money artists and mega-collectors pay a high price when art collides with commerce.
- DirectorMichael BayStarsJake GyllenhaalYahya Abdul-Mateen IIEiza GonzálezTwo robbers steal an ambulance after their heist goes awry.
- DirectorBaltasar KormákurStarsJason ClarkeAng Phula SherpaThomas M. WrightOn May 10, 1996, mountain guides Rob Hall and Scott Fischer combine their expedition teams for a final ascent to the summit of Mount Everest. With little warning, a storm strikes the mountain and the climbers must now battle to survive.
- DirectorGavin HoodStarsReese WitherspoonJake GyllenhaalPeter SarsgaardWhen a terrorist bombing in North Africa kills 19 incl. an American, an Egyptian chemical engineer flying from South Africa to his wife in USA, is arrested upon arriving USA. He disappears. His wife asks senator for help.
- DirectorJacques AudiardStarsJohn C. ReillyJoaquin PhoenixJake GyllenhaalEli and Charlie Sisters, an infamous duo of gunslinging assassins, chase a gold prospector and his unexpected ally in 1850s Oregon.
- DirectorAntoine FuquaStarsJake GyllenhaalRiley KeoughPeter SarsgaardA demoted police officer assigned to a call dispatch desk is conflicted when he receives an emergency phone call from a kidnapped woman.
- DirectorPaul DanoStarsEd OxenbouldJake GyllenhaalCarey MulliganA teenage boy must deal with his mother's complicated response after his father temporarily abandons them to take a menial and dangerous job.