The 10 Most Underrated Jake Gyllenhaal Movies, Ranked (from Least to Most Underrated)

Jake Gyllenhaal’s filmography stretches across intimate character studies, large-scale thrillers, and technically demanding genre pieces. This countdown spotlights ten titles that didn’t command the loudest conversation at release but feature substantial roles, notable craft choices, and production details that still make them worth seeking out.

Each entry includes concrete information—creative leads, principal cast, production approach, locations, technical credits, release context, and awards footprint—so you know exactly what you’re getting. The list runs as a simple 10-to-1 countdown and the item text avoids any mention of placement or methodology.

‘Enemy’ (2013)

Directed by Denis Villeneuve and adapted from José Saramago’s novel ‘The Double’, this psychological thriller casts Jake Gyllenhaal in a dual role as a subdued college lecturer and his more assertive look-alike. The supporting cast includes Mélanie Laurent, Sarah Gadon, and Isabella Rossellini. Shot largely in and around Toronto with a muted, yellow-tinged palette, it features music by Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans and was produced by Rhombus Media alongside several Canadian partners.

The film uses controlled framing, minimal dialogue, and recurring spider imagery to explore identity and obsession. It had a limited North American release following festival play and built a second life on home media and streaming. Key technical credits include cinematography by Nicolas Bolduc and editing by Matthew Hannam, with distribution split between Canadian and U.S. indie outfits.

‘Jarhead’ (2005)

Based on U.S. Marine Anthony Swofford’s memoir, this Gulf War drama was directed by Sam Mendes and photographed by Roger Deakins. Jake Gyllenhaal plays Swofford, with Jamie Foxx, Peter Sarsgaard, and Chris Cooper in principal roles. Universal Pictures handled distribution, and the production emphasized military accuracy, including boot-camp training and consultation with former Marines.

The movie was shot in California and Mexico, using heat haze, long-lens compositions, and controlled color to convey desert isolation. It features a prominent needle-drop soundtrack, a runtime just over two hours, and sound design that leans on ambient artillery and aircraft to frame the daily rhythms of deployment. The film opened wide and ultimately expanded into a multi-sequel franchise with separate casts and creative teams.

‘Brothers’ (2009)

Directed by Jim Sheridan, this family drama is an English-language remake of Susanne Bier’s ‘Brødre’. Jake Gyllenhaal co-stars with Tobey Maguire and Natalie Portman in a story centered on two siblings and the strain military service places on a household. Lionsgate released the film domestically, and Thomas Newman composed the score.

Principal photography took place in New Mexico, with production design emphasizing modest suburban interiors and stark high-desert exteriors. The film foregrounds PTSD and reintegration through intimate domestic scenes, and its awards footprint included recognition for lead performances during the season’s nomination runs. It maintains tight focus on character dynamics, supported by handheld camerawork and naturalistic lighting.

‘Nocturnal Animals’ (2016)

Tom Ford directs and adapts Austin Wright’s novel ‘Tony and Susan’, with Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams leading an ensemble that includes Michael Shannon and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. The production interweaves a present-day storyline with the events of a manuscript, using parallel narrative structures and shifts in visual texture. Focus Features distributed the film after a major festival premiere, where it won the Grand Jury Prize in Venice.

Seamus McGarvey’s cinematography and Joan Sobel’s editing establish distinct looks for the nested narratives, from sleek gallery spaces to desolate West Texas roadways. The project earned multiple awards nominations, including recognition for supporting performances. Production took place across California and Texas stand-ins, and Abel Korzeniowski’s score anchors the tonal contrasts between the film’s intertwined threads.

‘Source Code’ (2011)

Duncan Jones directs this contained sci-fi thriller from a script by Ben Ripley, with Jake Gyllenhaal opposite Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, and Jeffrey Wright. Summit Entertainment released the film widely, and the story centers on an experimental government program that inserts a participant into the final minutes of a commuter’s life to identify a bomber. The runtime sits in the low-90-minute range, keeping the pacing brisk.

The production built multiple train-car sets to accommodate repeated scenario resets, using precise blocking and editorial patterns to vary perspective. Effects work blends practical set destruction with digital enhancements, and the film’s box-office performance was strong relative to its mid-range budget. The score, sound design, and color timing were all calibrated to help viewers track timelines as the central mystery unfolds.

‘End of Watch’ (2012)

Written and directed by David Ayer, this South Los Angeles patrol drama stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña as long-time partners, with Anna Kendrick, America Ferrera, and Frank Grillo in supporting roles. Open Road Films handled distribution. The movie blends body-cam, dash-cam, and handheld footage with traditional coverage to create a documentary-adjacent texture.

To prepare, principal actors rode along with LAPD officers and completed tactical training, which influenced blocking and dialogue cadence. Production used actual neighborhood locations and natural light where possible, and editorially it mixes diegetic camera sources with conventional scenes to maintain narrative clarity. The release found a wide theatrical audience and later circulated frequently on cable and streaming due to its accessible runtime and episodic structure.

‘Zodiac’ (2007)

David Fincher directs this newsroom-and-detective procedural based on Robert Graysmith’s books, with Jake Gyllenhaal as Graysmith alongside Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo. The film reconstructs the Bay Area case file through police reports, newspaper archives, and period broadcast footage, integrating recreated crime scenes with newsroom sequences. Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. coordinated domestic and international distribution.

The production is notable for its early, extensive use of digital cinematography under director of photography Harris Savides, plus meticulous period visual effects ranging from skyline alterations to signage. Multiple cuts exist, with the home-video release adding extended material. The film’s score is minimal; licensed tracks and sound editing carry much of the period atmosphere. It performed modestly in cinemas and gained long-tail visibility through critical retrospectives and restored editions.

‘October Sky’ (1999)

Directed by Joe Johnston and adapted from Homer Hickam’s memoir ‘Rocket Boys’, this coming-of-age drama stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a coal-town teenager inspired by rocketry. Chris Cooper and Laura Dern co-star. Universal Pictures released the film, and its classroom-friendly focus on science education led to steady rotation in school settings and community screenings.

Production designed practical rocket launches and used Appalachian-inspired locations to reflect the town’s industrial reality. The film employed a mix of live-action pyrotechnics and safety-cleared effects for launch sequences, with careful attention to period props and wardrobe. Its soundtrack features orchestral cues that mirror the story’s incremental engineering milestones, and the movie earned multiple regional and youth-audience awards.

‘Nightcrawler’ (2014)

Written and directed by Dan Gilroy, this Los Angeles-set thriller follows a freelance stringer who chases overnight crime footage. Jake Gyllenhaal leads a cast that includes Rene Russo, Riz Ahmed, and Bill Paxton. The production shot largely at night across city neighborhoods and freeways, with Robert Elswit’s cinematography emphasizing sodium-lit streets and reflective surfaces. Open Road Films released it widely after festival play.

The budget sat in the single-digit millions, and the movie significantly out-earned that figure in theatrical release before expanding via home platforms. It received major awards recognition for its screenplay, with nominations across several industry groups. The editorial approach by John Gilroy maintains tight alignment to the protagonist’s perspective, and James Newton Howard’s score underscores the procedural rhythm of scanning police bands and racing to scenes.

‘Prisoners’ (2013)

Denis Villeneuve directs this Pennsylvania-set crime thriller featuring Jake Gyllenhaal as a detective opposite Hugh Jackman, Viola Davis, Maria Bello, Terrence Howard, Paul Dano, and Melissa Leo. The film was produced by Alcon Entertainment and distributed by Warner Bros. Roger Deakins served as cinematographer, bringing overcast natural light and careful negative space to suburban streets and wooded locations. The project earned an Academy Award nomination for cinematography.

Production built key interiors on soundstages to control weather continuity while capturing exteriors on location. The runtime extends past two and a half hours, allowing parallel investigation threads to interlock with family storylines. Jóhann Jóhannsson’s score and a restrained sound mix emphasize environmental detail—rain, wind, and traffic—over non-diegetic cues, and the film performed strongly worldwide relative to its mid-tier budget.

Share which titles you’d add or swap in the comments!