4
Jake Gyllenhaal in 5 unforgettable roles, from “Donnie Darko” to “Prisoners”
In the new Netflix thriller The Guilty, Jake Gyllenhaal plays a tortured police inspector who tries to save a young woman who is a victim of kidnapping. On the occasion of this magnetic performance, we take a look back at the 5 most memorable roles of an actor who has proven to be more and more intense and charismatic over the years.
1. Jake Gyllenhaal as a white trashy teenager in Donnie Darko (2001)
In this cult and mysterious film by Richard Kelly (Domino, Southland Tales),
Jake Gyllenhaal
plays Donnie Darko, a strange and introverted 16-year-old teenager who lives in Iowa. Like a big child, he bonds with an imaginary friend, Frank, a giant rabbit. But the latter turns out to be most frightening, announcing to Donnie an imminent end of the world. If the film made an impression with its Lynchian ending open to interpretation, it above all marks the explosion of the talent of Jake Gyllenhaal whose huge eyes and presence are by turns moving and disturbing.
2. Jake Gyllenhaal as a gay cowboy in Brokeback Mountain (2005)
The Secret of Brokeback Mountain (2005), a passionate and tragic melodrama that is perhaps one of the most beautiful love stories ever brought to the screen, became a phenomenon as soon as it was released. Jake Gyllenhaal and the late
Heath Ledger
play two cowboys from the state of Wyoming who are having a thwarted affair. In the sublime setting of an imaginary mountain in Wyoming, the two actors prove to be as accurate as they are emotional. Both nominated for the Oscars for their performances, the two artists deliver appearances that are all the more powerful because these roles had been refused many times before because they were considered too sulphurous by many actors, including Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio.
3. Jake Gyllenhaal as an obsessive cartoonist in Zodiac (2007)
In this film as sober and elegant as it is brilliant directed by David Fincher on the Zodiac affair, Jake Gyllenhaal amazes in the role of Robert Graysmith, a shy press cartoonist who will surpass himself. The young man, who does not have the same tools or the same experience as the investigators and the journalists around him, goes yet dedicate himself body and soul to unravel the mystery surrounding the elusive serial killer of the late 60s who terrified the San Francisco area .
4. Jake Gyllenhaal as a determined detective in Prisoners (2013)
In 2013, Denis Villeneuve offered two great thrillers to Jake Gyllenhaal : Enemy and Prisoners. In the latter, he lends his face full of humanity to Detective Loki who is relentlessly searching for the kidnapper of two little girls who disappeared in the suburbs of Boston. With the talent of Hugh Jackman and the mastery of Denis Villeneuve, Gyllenhaal’s charisma contributes to making this breathless crime film as strong as classics of the genre such as Seven (1996) and The Silence of the Lambs (1991).
5. Jake Gyllenhaal as an unscrupulous paparazzi in Night Call (2014)
Jake Gyllenhaal can exude a disturbing charm. This is the case of his masterful performance as a paparazzi ready to do anything for a scoop in Night Call (2014) by Dan Gilroy. In a fascinating nighttime Los Angeles, he plays Lou Bloom, a cynical reporter addicted to police radio frequencies. He tracks down shocking news and images that he can resell at a very high price on television. With this role of uninhibited antihero, Gyllenhaal alone symbolizes the excesses of sensationalist media as well as those of an audience ever more eager for trashy content.
The Guilty (2021) by Antoine Fuqua, available on Netflix.
