Jake Gyllenhaal has become one of the biggest player in Hollywood ever since   break away through withOctober Skynearly 25 geezerhood ago . A year rarely goes by when the actor does n’t star in a motion picture , and the Brobdingnagian legal age of them were either box government agency amber , vital darlings , or a compounding of the two .

Ironically enough , several of the thespian ’s best films did n’t make the Metacritic cut , includingSpider - Isle of Man : Far from Home , Everest , Prisoners , last of Watch , Love and Other Drugs , Brothers , Jarhead , and even the now - in - theatersAmbulance , from Michael Bay .

October Sky (1999) - 71

As riddled with behind - the - scene factoids as it is heartwarming moments , October Skywas vainglorious for Gyllenhaal , who led the motion-picture show at the vernal long time of 17 . He impersonate Homer H. Hickam Jr. , the Logos of a strict coal miner ( Chris Cooper , in an outstanding performance ) who does n’t quite sympathise Homer ’s love life for all matter NASA .

October Skydid well across the board , but one side rode higher than the other . From critic , the film receive a Metascore of 71 , which suggest favorability . However , users gave it oecumenical acclaim and a score of 8.4 .

Source Code (2011) - 74

The 2011 science fiction movieSource Codefollows Gyllenhaal as helicopter pilot Colter Stevens , who come up himself enclose up in a time loop aboard a before long - to - blow train .

Source Codehad the potential to be a forgotten , arguably even cliché , sci - fi picture . or else , its pace is speedy - fire and its performances are commit , resulting in electropositive vital and audience reviews . Namely , the film receive a Metascore of 74 and a user score of 7.7 . There are other looseness onGroundhog Day , butSource Codedoes the time loop trope just as well as something like the underrated Blumhouse filmHappy Death Day .

Okja (2017) - 75

Bong Joon - ho’sOkja , a Netflix original film , follow a little fille , Mija , as she takes aid of Okja , a large hippo - looking animal that has nothing unforesightful of a sweet nature . Gyllenhaal portray Dr. Johnny Wilcox , an eccentric zoologist who has taken a finical interest in Okja .

Okjawas a factious movie , but one would n’t know it seem at Metacritic . In terms of critical answer , the picture holds a 75 , a sales booth - in for favorability . Intriguingly enough , it did precisely as well with viewers , who render it a mark of 7.5 .

Stronger (2017) - 76

David Gordon Green’sStrongerfeatures Gyllenhaal as existent - life Boston Marathon bombing victim Jeff Bauman , a man who miss both of his legs and must now reacclimate himself to everything he was once used to . The motion-picture show did n’t wear out the bank at the box business office , but it ’s surely one of the most tender and layered performance of the actor ’s career .

Green ’s moviewas well - go over just like the bulk of his films ( includingHalloween ) , receiving generally favorable marks both from critics and viewers at home . In specificity , the flick scored a Metascore of 76 and a more or less low-spirited exploiter sexual conquest of 7.4 .

Nightcrawler (2014) - 76

In Dan Gilroy’sNightcrawler , Gyllenhaal portrays Louis Bloom , a camera operator who , armed with a video camera and a police force electronic scanner , starts chasing ambulance .

Bloom is Gyllenhaal ’s most disturbed character , and he plays it to frightening perfection . Gyllenhaal is magnetic inNightcrawler , and it was more than deserving of an Oscar nomination . It also made it readable that Gilroy - Gyllenhaal collaborations are worth take in , and the two travel along upNightcrawlerwith Netflix ’s bizarre and memorableVelvet Buzzsaw .

The Sisters Brothers (2018) - 78

The Sisters Brothersis a Western tale that mostly follows Charlie ( Joaquin Phoenix ) and Eli Sisters ( John C. Reilly ) . However , Gyllenhaal has an important role as John Morris , a private detective on the hunting for the same mankind the bountifulness hunting Sisters brothers are after . The end to his fictitious character ’s arc is in particular annihilating .

The 2018 motion picture received favourable critique across the board . From critics , it received a Metascore of 78 . From user , a slightly abject rating of 7.4 .

Zodiac (2007) - 78

" Just because you ca n’t prove it does n’t intend it is n’t reliable . " This is aline spout by Gyllenhaal ’s Robert Graysmithin David Fincher’sZodiac , and it ’s one of the actor ’s best quotes to particular date . Graysmith is a valet de chambre obsess , and what he ’s obsessed with is especially glum .

He wants to find out the individuality of the zodiac Orcinus orca , but he ’s allowing his interest to consume his life . Before long he ’ll fall behind everyone , and the hearing knows this because the audience also knows that track the zodiac killer stop up being an exercise in futility . The film , arguably Fincher ’s chef-d’oeuvre , receive by and large favorable review from critics to the tune of a 78 Metascore . However , its drug user score suggest vital acclaim with an 8.4 .

Wildlife (2018) - 80

Wildlifeis one ofRanker ’s favorite Jake Gyllenhaal filmsjust the same as it ’s one of Metacritic ’s . Gyllenhaal portrays Jerry , hubby to Carey Mulligan ’s Jeanette and a veteran golf game professional . The duo hits a reverse when Jerry mislay his line of work , but he decides to do something with his sentence by assisting in the fight against forest fire .

The Mulligan - Gyllenhaal team - up receive favorable reviews from both critic and world-wide audiences . On the former side , professional commentator give it a Metascore of 80 . And , while the user score was lower , it was still a very respectable 7.4 .

Brokeback Mountain (2005) - 87

Jack Twist inBrokeback Mountainwill always be one ofGyllenhaal ’s best charactersif only for how significant it was to his life history trajectory . Ang Lee ’s film was a political minefield and Oscar darling back in 2005 , and it ’s easy to see why . The chemistry between Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger is as spectacular as Ledger ’s interpersonal chemistry with future married woman Michelle Williams , which is a will both to the collective performances and the magnate of the motion picture ’s narrative .

Lee ’s photographic film get a Metacritic Must - See badge from the site , representing cosmopolitan plaudits and a score of 87 . Furthermore , its user score was n’t much behind at 8.2 , which still is a stand - in for general plaudits .

Donnie Darko: The Director’s Cut (2004) - 88

Richard Kelly ’s director ’s track of his debut film , Donnie Darko , is the definitive version if only because the photographic film is plain so personal . Darko ’s intense , bizarre news report must be told in full because any fragile deviation from Kelly ’s unambiguously crafted narrative would be a gut lick to its potency . Admittedly , the theatrical cut ofDarkodidn’t excisetoomuch , but the audience definitely sustain a better sense of the eponymous character after the film director ’s cut .

Donnie Darkowas only Gyllenhaal ’s third photographic film , yet it was arguably the most important for his career ( though not necessarily at first ) . The actor was in his early 20 forDarko , and his portrayal of the primal character is just as layer and complex as the purpose deserved . With that being enunciate , the theatre director ’s track of the plastic film did n’t do as well with audience as the theatrical cutting . Namely , the drug user grievance for the latter was 8.4 while the former incur a 4.1 . However , the director ’s cut received an 88 from critic while the master copy received a much lower 71 .

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Jake Gyllenhaal in Zodiac, Prisoners, Donnie Darko

Jake Gyllenhaal and Chris Cooper with extras in October Sky.

Jake Gyllenhaal speaking on a phone in Source Code

Jake Gyllenhaal as Dr. Johnny in Okja

Jake Gyllenhaal celebrating in a hockey game in Stronger.

Jake Gyllenhaal in Nightcrawler holding a camera

Jake Gyllenhaal as John Morris in The Sisters Brothers

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Carey Mulligan and Jake Gyllenhaal in Wildlife

Jack and Ennis hugging in Brokeback Mountain.

Jake Gyllenhaal in Donnie Darko

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Jake Gyllenhaal