Jake Gyllenhaal in End of Watch
After the successful theatrical opening of End of Watch last year we celebrate its release onto DVD on 18th March, by looking at the top ten films starring End of Watch’s lead actor Jake Gyllenhaal.
End of Watch: (2012)
Released onto DVD on 18th March, Jake Gyllenhaal stars as young police officer, Brian Taylor alongside Michael Pena and Anna Kendrick in this documentary style film.
Following the daily grind of Gyllenhaal and Pena’s LAPD officers who are not only partners but also friends. See what happens when the two take on a force bigger than themselves.
It is this central relationship that really makes the movie what is it as a real friendship and brotherly love has developed between the pair that is so genuine and so strong.
And that is thanks to two great central performances from Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena that this has been achieved; Taylor is a man who is still haunted by his military past while Zavala is a devoted family man.
These two men couldn’t he further apart and yet they have between them a bond and a trust that cannot be broken - and this is played perfectly by these two fine actors.
Click here to buy End of Watch on DVD
Donnie Darko: (2001)
In 2001, Jake Gyllenhaal took on the lead in the Richard Kelly directed, Donnie Darko playing a teenager plagued by visions of a giant bunny rabbit.
The visions manipulate Donnie (Gyllenhaal) to commit a series of crimes. Co-starring Jake’s actress sister, Maggie Gyllenhaal and the late Patrick Swayze.
This was the movie that really put Gyllenhaal on the map as the troubled teenager Donnie.
Director Richard Kelly was not afraid to make this movie dark and tense and it was unlike anything else that his the big screen that year.
Click here to buy Donnie Darko on DVD
The Day After Tomorrow: (2004)
Starring opposite Dennis Quaid and Emmy Rossum in 2004, Jake Gyllenhaal took on the role of Sam Hall in the Roland Emmerich directed, The Day After Tomorrow.
Jack Hall (Quaid) a paleoclimatologist for NORAD sets out to rescue his son, Sam (Gyllenhaal) after he becomes trapped in New York after an international storm creates the World’s next Ice Age.
This was Gyllenhaal's first real step into the big budget blockbuster as he teamed up with Emmerich for the very first time.
The special effects are on a huge scale with this movie and it is a film that you can have a lot of fun with.
Click here to buy The Day After Tomorrow on DVD
Brokeback Mountain: (2005)
2005’s Brokeback Mountain earned director Ang Lee an Academy Award® in 2006 for Best Achievement in Directing and saw Jake Gyllenhaal star opposite the late Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams as cowboy Jack Twist.
Along with fellow cowboy Ennis Del Mar (Ledger) we follow their story over the years of their forbidden and secretive relationship.
Brokeback Mountain remains the best performance of Gyllenhaal's career to date as he and Heath Ledger lit up the big screen.
The role of Jack Twist was a bold one for Gyllenhaal but it paid off as this is a rich and moving story that placed the gay love story in the mainstream.
Both Gyllenhaal and Ledger deliver devastating performances as two men who struggle to hide what they truly are - this was a masterful movie.
Click here to buy Brokeback Mountain on DVD
Jarhead: (2005)
Also starring Jamie Foxx and Peter Sarsgaard in the Sam Mendes directed, adaptation of former Marine Anthony Swofford’s best selling 2003 book, Jarhead tells the tale of his experiences in Pre-Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia and experiences as a marine in Kuwait. The film went on to receive ten awards nominations.
Jarhead saw Gyllenhaal team up with director Sam Mendes for the very first time in what was a terrific war movie.
This is an incredibly intelligent movie that followed men who were ready to go to war but didn't despite being in the military during a period of war.
Jarhead is an interesting look at men on the verge of war and yet never being able to do what they are trained for and the frustration that comes with that.
Gyllenhaal is terrific and he is supported by a brilliant cast while Mendes paints a very stunning picture with this film.
Click here to buy Jarhead on DVD
Rendition: (2007)
Starring alongside his Jarhead co-star, Peter Sarsgaard in 2007, Jake Gyllenhaal took on the role of Douglas Freeman, A CIA Analyst who questions a recent assignment after witnessing an unorthodox interrogation.
Also starring Meryl Streep and Reese Witherspoon, Rendition went on to win Best Narrative Feature at the 2007 Mill Valley Film Festival.
There may have been a great ensemble cast assembled for this movie but Gyllenhaal is the actor that really does stand out as a CIA analyst.
He is a character who is forced to confront his own conscience throughout the film and he is nothing less than brilliant.
Click here to buy Rendition on DVD
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time: (2010)
Taking on the role of Dastan, Jake Gyllenhaal starred opposite Gemma Arterton and Ben Kingsley in the action adventure.
Dastan is a young fugitive prince who has to stop a villain when the world comes under the threat of destruction by a magical dagger that enables the sand inside it to reverse time.
While Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time wasn't quite the smash hit that everyone was hoping for it is a movie that really is a lot of fun.
Gyllenhaal worked hard to get into shape for the film and the movie is worth a watch just for that.
Gyllenhaal may be best known for his edgier movie choices it was good to see him tackle something really mainstream - he leads the cast well throughout.
Click here to buy Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time on DVD
The Good Girl: (2002)
2002 saw Jake Gyllenhaal play stock room boy, Holden Worther start an affair with check out clerk, Justine (Jennifer Aniston). Holden becomes the at ease lover of Justine as we follow the story of her mundane life.
The role earned Gyllenhaal critical acclaim and The Good Girl won a total of 6 awards with a further 15 nominations.
Click here to buy The Good Girl on DVD
Love and Other Drugs: (2010)
Starring alongside Anne Hathaway and Oliver Platt in the 2010 Edward Zwick directed, Love and Other Drugs, Jake Gyllenhaal played Jamie Randall a drugs representative for a pharmaceutical company.
There he befriends Anne Hathaway’s, Maggie Murdock a Parkinson’s sufferer. Love and Other Drugs went on to receive two Golden Globes® nominations seeing Gyllenhaal and Hathaway nominated in the categories for Best Actor and Best Actress.
Gyllenhaal is a smooth lead man as he takes on the role of pharmaceutical salesman Jamie, who loves women but is not interested in a serious relationship.
He has great chemistry with Anne Hathaway - after working together on Brokeback Mountain - and there is just something so believable about their growing relationship.
The humour goes hand in hand with this journey of discover for both characters and the laugh out loud moments are a relief from the heart wrenching moments of personal struggle.
Click here to buy Love and Other Drugs on DVD
Source Code: (2011)
2011 saw Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead role of Colter Stevens in the Duncan Jones directed, Source Code.
Focusing on a solider that wakes up in the body of an unknown man, he finds himself in the middle of a mission to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train. The action thriller co-starred Michelle Monaghan and Vera Famiga.
While the story line is a little preposterous it is a completely compelling and intriguing movie from start to finish.
Gyllenhaal is his usual great self as he mixes moments of tension with great bits of comedy.
Click here to buy Source Code on DVD
End of Watch is released on DVD on 18th March 2013.