Spotlight on... Jake Gyllenhaal

Movies are great, they are great because of their stories, the sets, costumes along with the direction and production. But, movies would be nothing without great actors, and I believe Jake Gyllenhaal is one of our generations best actors, and a particularly underrated one as well.

No movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal that I have ever seen has ever been anything short of incredible, and something that links all of these incredible films together, is Jake himself.

Here are some of my favourite movies that star the man himself, Jake Gyllenhaal.

1. Southpaw (A. Fuqua, 2015)

Boxer Billy Hope (Gyllenhaal) hits rock-bottom after losing his family and falls into a depression. His encounter with a former boxer gives him hope to stand up once again. This was one of the first boxing movies I had ever watched and it opened up the door to me wanting to watch more. Gyllenhaal's commitment to portraying such a tortured and damaged man, whilst also creating a vulnerability to such a tough character allows audiences to truly connect to him. You can feel the pain he is going through and how truly tormented his mind is, whilst also sympathising with him and the struggles he is going through. Many critics have called the story weak and not worth watching, but I urge everyone to watch, just for the immaculate performance Jake gives, which the academy absolutely snubbed, but are we surprised at this point?

2. Nightcrawler (D, Gilroy. 2014)

Louis Bloom (Gyllenhaal), a petty thief, realises that he can make money by capturing photographs of crime scenes and starts resorting to extreme tactics to get them. Gyllenhaal plays an anti-hero turned potential villain, and the film really dissects the truly gritty and often vile behaviour of the news business. Gyllenhaal's, once again, characterisation plays the leading role and his unrivalled ability to become the most intense and disturbed characters is remarkable. The plot of the movie is not the most developed or original, yet Jake captures you and from the first time you seen him on screen, you won't ever want to leave. This movie stayed with me for a while after I had seen it for the first time, and it is definitely one I would recommend to people who want to watch more of his work.

3. Prisoners (D, Villeneuve. 2013)

Prisoners, whilst is Hugh Jackman's leading man role, gives Jake Gyllenhaal a chance to truly focus on his characterisation and delivery. As the story is not based around his character, like it usually would be, Gyllenhaal must bounce off the other characters within the film in order to create a truly incredible movie. Hats off to Jackman, his performance is amazing and for a story so moving and heart wrenching, delivers an incredible acting performance worthy of academy nominations. Yet, in my opinion again, Jake gives a powerhouse performance that is unmatched in the industry.

4. End of Watch (D, Ayer. 2012)

This was one of the first movies I had seen with Jake starring in and I am so thankful I decided to stick around. Not only is this movie shot so incredibly, but the acting performances are outstanding. The role Gyllenhaal plays is a dynamic character, dealing with love, loss, pressure and grief and whilst his counterpart Michael Pena is phenomenal in this role, Gyllenhaal steals the spotlight again, completely losing himself in the role. He portrays such a damaged character in such a sensitive way and not once do you ever question his sincerity. Definitely an underrated role and film, and I would absolutely recommend if you haven't already seen it.

5. Spider-Man: Far From Home

Not something movie fans expected to happen, but absolutely something movie fans needed. Peter Parker, the beloved superhero Spider-Man, faces four destructive elemental monsters while on holiday in Europe. Soon, he receives help from Mysterio, a fellow hero with mysterious origins. The chemistry between Tom Holland and Jake Gyllenhaal steals the show, and the brotherly and humorous relationship they share both on screen and off screen is delightful to watch. This movie proves that Jake Gyllenhaal can do it all, from both the serious and hard hitting to the funny and light-hearted, and I hope we see more of this type of performance from him.

What are some of your favourite Jake Gyllenhaal movies? And if you could only recommend one to a friend to convert them to a fan, what would you pick?