As a teenager, Gyllenhaal starred in Richard Kelly's twisted thriller "Donnie Darko". This is definitely my personal favorite Gyllenhaal movie. While it may not have been an overwhelmingly smashing critical success, it's certainly entertaining and showcases the actors' abilities. Gyllenhaal stars at the titular lead of this science fiction film. Darko is a high school student experiencing a bit of an identity crisis. He acts out against authority figures, experiences dark thoughts, and begins to receive visits from a six-foot bunny rabbit named Frank, who tells him the world is coming to an end. This movie takes us on a ride through Darko's unusual journey to self-identification. "Donnie Darko" can best be described in one word- bizarre. I've probably seen this movie about 5 times, and every time I watch it I still spend hours analyzing what I've seen after. Gyllenhaal was 21 years old when he was in this film. Darko is an extremely layered and complex character, and Gyllenhaal's performance is remarkable. The character evokes melancholy, confusion, and wonder. Gyllenhaal's performance escalates this film to a new level. This role truly paved the road transitioning Gyllenhaal from childhood roles to more serious adult roles.
"Brokeback Mountain" came out in 2005, and at the time was a revolutionary story about a gay romance. Gyllenhaal played Jack Twist, a Texan rodeo cowboy. The film takes place in the 1960s- certainly a time when being gay was rarely accepted in society, particularly in the south. Gyllenhaal stars opposite Heath Ledger, who plays Ennis Del Mar, a ranch-hand. The movie tells the story of Ennis and Jack's forbidden romance, unveiling incredibly emotive performances from both Gyllenhaal and Ledger. "Brokeback Mountain" is undoubtably an incredibly emotional film full of complexities and heartache. This is an exceptionally powerful film, and Gyllenhaal certainly gave the role his all. He brings the heartfelt script to life. To this day, I think a lot of people (including myself) are furious that "Crash" beat out "Brokeback Mountain for Best Picture at the Oscars. This certainly cemented Gyllenhaal's title as a serious actor in the business.
Next up is the 2007 thriller, "Zodiac". This movie is based on a true story about a serial killer in San Francisco in the 1960s and 1970s. The killer, known as "Zodiac," leaves cryptic notes for the police, taunting them. Jake Gyllenhaal plays Robert Graysmith, a cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle. His character works with a detective and a journalist in efforts to solve the mystery of the Zodiac killer. To prepare for his role, Jake Gyllenhaal met with Graysmith and recorded him, studying his movements and mannerisms. This was the first time that Gyllenhaal played a real person, demonstrating a new facet to his acting abilities. His attention to detail when playing actual people will pay off later in his career as well.
One of Jake Gyllenhaal's strongest performances of his career was in "Nightcrawler". This eerie movie further emphasizes Gyllenhaal's draw to dark and twisty characters. "Nightcrawler" tells the story of wannabe night reporter Lou Bloom in Los Angeles. This film as a whole is probably the best Gyllenhaal movie. Throughout the course of this thriller, Bloom runs around the city, desperate to capture LA night crimes before bigger news outlets can get to them. Gyllenhaal's performance in this film is reminiscent of De Niro in "Taxi Driver". In a similar way to De Niro's Bickle, we see Bloom psychologically deteriorate as he strives to reach his goals. This movie is brilliant and Gyllenhaal definitely deserves more recognition than he initially received for this performance. He was so dedicated to this role that he lost thirty pounds in preparation (all signs point to his generations' De Niro). He barely slept while the movie shot, which is evident in his hollowed face and bloodshot eyes. Gyllenhaal is dedicated to his craft, and it shows.
One of the newer an unique roles Gyllenhaal took on was in Netflix's original film, "Okja". This unique film is about a young girl named Mija who takes extreme measures to ensure a major corporation doesn't take away her best friend, a magnificent beast named Okja. The film serves as a social commentary on animal activism, corporate greed, and scientific ethics. I could write an entirely separate post on this- as a vegetarian and eternal animal lover, this film moved me deeply. On another note, however, Gyllenhaal broke the mold of his usual character attributes in this film. He took on a comedic role, playing secondary character Dr. Johnny Wilcox. A few critics cited his performance in this role as too "eccentric," but I think that was exactly his intention. It was refreshing to see Gyllenhaal in such a goofy role. His character talks in a high-pitched voice and all of his movements could double as choreography. Although his performance could come across as overstated and overdone, it works in the context of the film. It was nice to see usually-serious Gyllenhaal loosen up on screen and truly come to life. "Okja" takes on many serious issues, so Gyllenhaal's character serves as comedic relief throughout the film. While certainly an unusual one, Gyllenhaal's performance in this film adds a new dimension to his acting reel.
Finally, I'll conclude this post with Gyllenhaal's most recent role in a feature film. This role was in 2017's movie "Stronger," which was about a victim of the Boston Marathon bombing. Gyllenhaal described "Stronger" as his most important project of his career. He not only starred in the movie, playing Jeff Bauman, a man who lost his legs in the bombing, but produced as well. When I first heard of this film, I honestly wasn't expecting to be wowed by it. I thought it would mirror films of a similar nature. However, the emotion delivered in Gyllenhaal's acting left me teary-eyed. He spent a year preparing for this role. One of the main themes of the movie is Bauman's difficulty with accepting his newfound status as a "hero". The audience sees Bauman struggle not only with his disability, but the burden his new title places on him as well. It highlights relationship troubles, struggles within his family, and all sorts of impossible new challenges placed on Bauman. One of the most powerful scenes of the film emphasizing Bauman's physical pain was when the doctors first had to remove the dressing on his legs in the hospital. As I was watching this, I was shocked by how convincing Gyllenhaal was in this scene. The entire movie pays so much attention to detail. It could so easily have been a cliched film. Gyllenhaal's portrayal of Bauman was simultaneously heart-wrenching and heartwarming. "Stronger" definitely allowed Gyllenhaal to deliver some of his finest work. I look forward to Jake Gyllenhaal's upcoming projects!
