Jake Gyllenhaal Movies Ranked

Jake Gyllenhaal, one of Hollywood’s greatest actors, picks his movies carefully. Over 25 years (more if you count his minor roles in his dad’s movies), he has made a dozen great films, with “Brokeback Mountain’, “Prisoners” and ‘Nightcrawler” being bona fide classics, and “Lovely and Amazing,” “Jarhead,” “End of Watch,” “Zodiac,” “October Sky,” “Source Code,” “Stronger,” “Wildlife” and the just released “The Covenant,” being among the best films of the past two decades. With this list, it is astonishing that he has only garnered a single Oscar Nomination – Best Supporting Actor for “Brokeback Mountain.”

The rest of his work ranges from moderately interesting: “The Good Girl” (2002), “The Day After Tomorrow” (2004), “Enemy” (2013), “Everest” (2015), “Nocturnal Animals” (2016), “Okja” (2017, and “The Sister Brothers” (2018) to bad: “Moonlight Mile” (2002), “Proof” (2005), “Rendition” (2007), “Brothers” (2009), “Love and Other Drugs” (2010), “Accidental Love” (2015), “Demolition” (2015), “Southpaw” (2015), “Life” (2017), “The Guilty” (2021), and “Ambulance” (2022) to trash: “Highway” (2002) and “Velvet Buzzsaw” (2019) to he did it for the money: “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” (2010), “Spider-Man: Far From Home” (2019), and “Spider-Man: No Way Out” (2021)

He is the proud owner of two cult movies, both from the same year: “Donnie Darko” (2001) and “Bubble Boy” (2001).

Of note, three of his worst movies are remakes of Danish originals (how did that happen?), so maybe he should stay away from those in the future.

Brokeback Mountain

A dozen great movies with a couple of classics.

YEARTITLERATINGDIRECTOR
2005Brokeback MountainA+Ang Lee
2013PrisonersA+Denis Villeneuve
2014NightcrawlerA+Dan Gilroy
2001Lovely and AmazingANicole Holofnecer
2005JarheadASam Mendes
2007ZodiacADavid Fincher
2012End of WatchADavid Ayer
1999October SkyA-Joe Johnson
2011Source CodeA-Duncan Jones
2017StrongerB+Davis Gordon Green
2018WildlifeB+Paul Dano
2023The CovenantB+Guy Ritchie

Seven Movies that are good and interesting

YEARTITLERATINGDIRECTOR
2015 EverestBBaltasar Kormakur
2017OkjaBBoon-Joon-ho
2002The Good GirlB-Miguel Arteta
2013EnemyB-Dennis Villeneuve
2004The Day After TomorrowC+Roland Emmerich
2016Nocturnal AnimalsC+Tom Ford
2018The Sister BrothersC+Jacques Audiard

Nightcrawlers

Eleven movies are just plain wrong.

YEARTITLERATINGDIRECTOR
2015SouthpawD+Antoine Fuqua
2017LifeD+Daniel Espinosa
2021The Guilty*D+Antoine Fuqua
2022Ambulance*D+Michael Bay
2002Moonlight MileDBrad Silberling
2005ProofDJohn Madden
2007RenditionDGavin Hood
2009Brothers*DJim Sheridan
2010Love and Other DrugsDEdward Zwick
2015Accidental LoveDDavid O. Russell
2015DemolitionDJean-Marc Vallée
*Remake of a Danish original.

Prisoners

Two movies rank as absolute trash.

YEARTITLERATINGDIRECTOR
2002HighwayFJames Cox
2019Velvet BuzzsawFDan Gilroy

Jarehead

Three, He did it for the money.

YEARTITLERATINGDIRECTOR
2021“Spider-Man: No Way Out” CJon Watts
2019 “Spider-Man: Far From Home”DJon Watts
2010“Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time”FMike Newell

Zodiac

Two cult movies

YEARTITLERATINGDIRECTOR
2001Donnie DarkoC-Richard Kelly
2001Bubble BoyD+Blair Hayes

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