This ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet.

List of Jake Gyllenhaal Movies: Ranked Best To Worst

1. End of Watch (2012)
74
7
End of Watch
R
74
7

Two LAPD officers, Brian Taylor and Mike Zavala, are partners as well as close friends. After killing a gangster for self-protection, they are assigned to the dangerous parts of the city. While dealing with the clashes between black and Mexican gangs, they uncover drug and human-trafficking rackets. As a result, the two are hunted down by a powerful Mexican Cartel. 

Role:
Brian Taylor
Starring:
Anna Kendrick, Frank Grillo, America Ferrera, David Harbour, Michael Peña, Natalie Martinez
Directed By:
David Ayer
2. Nightcrawler (2014)
115
12
Nightcrawler
R
115
12

Nightcrawler is an adrenaline-charged thriller that revolves around a small-time robber who turns into a photographer of grisly crimes. Armed with a camcorder and a police scanner, a petty thief scours the streets of Los Angeles at night in search of increasingly gruesome crimes that he sells to a desperate morning news director of a television channel.

Role:
Louis Bloom
Starring:
Rene Russo, Ann Cusack, Bill Paxton, Michael Papajohn, Marco Rodríguez, James Huang
Directed By:
Dan Gilroy
4. Prisoners (2013)
164
16
Prisoners
R
164
16

Prisoners is a gripping thriller that focuses on the search of a father, Keller Dover, brilliantly portrayed by Hugh Jackman, for his little daughter and her friend who suddenly disappear after Thanksgiving dinner. Jake Gyllenhaal plays the part of a detective who uncovers gruesome hidden truths while trying to solve the case.

Role:
Detective Loki
Directed By:
5. Zodiac (2007)
90
9
Zodiac
R
90
9

Based on the manhunt for the Zodiac Killer, an elusive serial killer who once terrorized the San Francisco Bay Area, the movie gives an account of the detectives’ desperate attempts to solve what remains one of the most infamous unsolved cases in the United States. 

Role:
Robert Graysmith
Directed By:
6. Brothers (2009)
51
7
Brothers
R
51
7

Captain Sam Cahill’s helicopter is shot down while he is on duty in Afghanistan. His brother Tommy takes over the responsibilities of his brother’s family comprising his wife and two daughters. When Sam returns from captivity, he is emotionally scarred and finds it difficult to accept the changes that have taken place in his absence.

Role:
Tommy Cahill
Directed By:
Jim Sheridan
7. Southpaw (2015)
63
7
Southpaw
R
63
7

Billy "The Great" Hope, an undefeated professional boxer with a perfect family life, succumbs to depression and alcohol and drug abuse after his loving wife is killed. Despite deciding to retire, he gets back into the ring with the help of former boxer Tick Wills to gain back custody of his daughter from Child Protective Services.

Role:
Billy Hope
Starring:
Rachel McAdams, Forest Whitaker, Naomie Harris, Oona Laurence, 50 Cent
Directed By:
Antoine Fuqua
8. The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
60
10
The Day After Tomorrow
PG-13
60
10

Soon after US officials ignore warnings of a huge climate shift by paleoclimatologist Jack Hall, a massive storm system develops causing natural disasters around the world. Jack's son Sam and his friends get trapped in New York City while attending an event and must survive freezing-cold temperature until his father reaches there by foot in a daring rescue attempt.

Role:
Sam Hall
Starring:
Emmy Rossum, Dennis Quaid, Ian Holm, Tamlyn Tomita, Dash Mihok, Jay O. Sanders
Directed By:
Roland Emmerich
9. Brokeback Mountain (2005)
93
17
Brokeback Mountain
R
93
17

Rodeo cowboy Jack and ranch hand Ennis meet after they are hired as sheep herders in Wyoming and gradually develop a deep bond which culminates in a passionate romantic encounter on a drunken night on Brokeback Mountain. They soon settle separately, but continue a complicated affair for nearly two decades, leading to a tragedy.

Role:
Jack Twist
Directed By:
Awards:
BAFTA Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, MTV Movie & TV Award for Best Performance, MTV Movie & TV Award for Best Kiss
10. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)
51
9
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
PG-13
51
9

An adaptation of the video game of the same name, the movie sees an adopted Persian prince Dastan and Alamut princess Tamina fight to protect a sacred dagger from falling into villainous hands. The dagger gives its possessor the power to travel back in time as well as destroy the world.

Role:
Dastan
Starring:
Alfred Molina, Ben Kingsley, Gemma Arterton, Steve Toussaint
Directed By:
Mike Newell
11. Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019)
40
8
Spider-Man: Far from Home
PG-13
40
8

Peter Parker has to step up and handle an unexpected mission when Nick Fury interrupts his European vacation. The world is threatened by massive monstrous creatures, each symbolising the four elements—fire, Earth, water and air—and Spider-Man has to don his suit, far from home, team up with Mysterio, and stop the evil forces from destroying everything.

Role:
Quentin Beck
Starring:
Samuel L. Jackson, Marisa Tomei, Cobie Smulders, Jon Favreau, Ben Mendelsohn
Directed By:
Jon Watts
12. Donnie Darko (2001)
95
25
Donnie Darko
R
95
25

This Richard Kelly’s science fiction psychological thriller film is about a troubled high-school student who is frequently visited by Frank, a huge six-foot rabbit, visible only to him. Frank pushes him to carry out a series of dangerous pranks and also tells him that the world will be over in 28 days.

Role:
Donnie Darko
Starring:
Patrick Swayze, Jena Malone, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Nancy Juvonen, Ashley Tisdale, Katharine Ross, Drew Barrymore
Directed By:
Richard Kelly
13. October Sky (1999)
15
3
October Sky
PG
15
3

The movie tells the story of Homer H. Hickam Jr., a coal miner’s son who beats all odds stacked against him to build rockets after being inspired by the launch of Sputnik 1. Despite having a disapproving father and hostile townspeople, Homer eventually earns his father’s support and goes on to become a NASA engineer. 

Role:
Homer Hickam
Starring:
Chris Cooper, Laura Dern, Chris Owen, William Lee Scott
Directed By:
Joe Johnston
14. Nocturnal Animals (2016)
42
12
Nocturnal Animals
R
42
12

The neo-noir thriller follows art gallery owner Susan Morrow who receives and starts reading a manuscript written by her ex-husband Edward Sheffield. Susan who is troubled by her current husband’s unfaithfulness finds parallels between her first marriage, her life, and that of the tragic story of the protagonist of the novel, Tony Hastings.  

Role:
Tony Hastings / Edward Sheffield
Starring:
Amy Adams, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Isla Fisher, Michael Shannon, Laura Linney, Michael Sheen, Ellie Bamber
Directed By:
Tom Ford
15. Okja (2017)
22
6
Okja
TV-MA
22
6

Mija, a South Korean mountain-girl, raises a fascinating but loving beast and her friend of 10-years, Okja. But Miranda Corporation, a multinational firm, claims Okja as its own and takes her to New York. With only one aim of rescuing Okja, Mija follows them but encounters many incongruent groups having their own agenda regarding Okja’s future. Can Mija get her friend back?

Starring:
Devon Bostick, Steven Yeun, Lily Collins, Tilda Swinton, Sheena Kamal, Michael Mitton, Colm Hill
Directed By:
Joon-ho Bong
16. Rendition (2007)
18
4
Rendition
R
18
4

When Anwar El-Ibrahimi, a Chicago based American-Egyptian chemical engineer, goes missing, his wife, Isabella, starts a search for him, unaware that he is being interrogated for his supposed involvement in terrorist activities and tortured in a secret facility. Luckily, CIA analyst Douglas Freeman is not convinced of Anwar’s guilt. 

Role:
Douglas Freeman
Starring:
Alan Arkin, Meryl Streep, Reese Witherspoon, Peter Sarsgaard
Directed By:
Gavin Hood
17. Love & Other Drugs (2010)
35
10
Love & Other Drugs
R
35
10

Jamie Randall, a pharmaceutical sales representative who has a way with women, meets unconventional Maggie Murdock, diagnosed with early-stage Parkinsonism. As their relationship evolves, Jamie’s career soars high with onset of Viagra. He searches for cure for her condition while she wonders whether he would love her even if there is no hope for cure. So where does love takes the two?

Role:
Jamie Randall
Starring:
Jill Clayburgh, Judy Greer, Katheryn Winnick, Hank Azaria, Josh Gad, Anne Hathaway, Oliver Platt
Directed By:
Edward Zwick
18. Everest (2015)
26
8
Everest
PG-13
26
8

Everest is inspired by the true-life events of a mountaineering disaster. Two separate commercial expeditions, led by Rob Hall and Scott Fischer, set out to conquer the world’s highest summit, Mt. Everest. Unexpectedly, they are engulfed by a fierce blizzard where they struggle for survival against freezing temperatures and winds, as their mettle is tested by the harshest possible elements. 

Starring:
Keira Knightley, Josh Brolin, Martin Henderson, Robin Wright, Jason Clarke, Sam Worthington, Emily Watson
Directed By:
Baltasar Kormákur
19. Enemy (2013)
33
12
Enemy
R
33
12

History professor Adam Bell suddenly discovers a person on television who looks exactly like him, and following an obsessive search, finds out that his doppelganger is small-time actor Anthony Claire. The two agree to meet, but Adam soon regrets the decision after Anthony attempts to manipulate him in order to sleep with his beautiful girlfriend Mary.

Role:
Adam + Anthony
Starring:
Sarah Gadon, Isabella Rossellini, Mélanie Laurent, Joshua Peace
Directed By:
20. Proof (2005)
13
5
Proof
PG-13
13
5

Based on an award winning play of the same name, Proof tells the story of Catherine, daughter a genius mathematician Robert Llewellyn, who struggles to cope with the death of her father. She is also worried that she may have inherited his mental illness. Her life gets even more complicated when one of her father’s ex-students wants to search through his papers. 

Role:
Harold Dobbs - Hal
Starring:
Anthony Hopkins, Gwyneth Paltrow, Danny McCarthy, Hope Davis
Directed By:
John Madden
21. Jarhead (2005)
13
4
Jarhead
R
13
4

This biographical war drama tracks Anthony Swofford as he enlists as a Marine, struggles through a grueling training to become a sniper, and is deployed to the Arabian Peninsula during the Gulf War. Amidst severe heat in a foreign desert, he tries to maintain his composure and readiness for months while learning about the reality of modern warfare.

Role:
Anthony Swofford
Starring:
Jamie Foxx, Lucas Black, Laz Alonso, John Krasinski, Chris Cooper, Scott MacDonald, Peter Sarsgaard
Directed By:
22. Demolition (2015)
14
4
Demolition
R
14
4

Successful investment banker Davis Mitchell’s life is turned upside down when a car accident ends up killing his wife and with him at the hospital. When he drafts a complaint about a vending machine including some of his personal tragedies, he forms a bond with customer service representative Karen Moreno who might just help him rebuild his life. 

Role:
Davis
Starring:
Naomi Watts, Chris Cooper, Judah Lewis, C.J. Wilson
Directed By:
Jean-Marc Vallée
23. Stronger (2017)
8
3
Stronger
R
8
3

Jeff Bauman loses both his legs in the Boston marathon bombing of 2013, after which he tries to adjust to his new life with prosthetic limbs. He soon inspires many others and becomes a symbol of hope.

Role:
Jeff Bauman
Starring:
Miranda Richardson, Tatiana Maslany, Richard Lane Jr., Nate Richman
Directed By:
David Gordon Green
24. Life (2017)
29
12
Life
R
29
12

The six-member crew aboard the International Space Station finds the first evidence of extraterrestrial life, a dormant single-celled organism, in a sample collected from Mars. When the organism devours a lab rat following an accident, it is revealed that it can grow rapidly and has multipurpose cells, and is now threatening the survival of the whole crew.

Role:
David Jordan
Starring:
Ryan Reynolds, Rebecca Ferguson, Hiroyuki Sanada, Olga Dykhovichnaya
Directed By:
Daniel Espinosa
25. City Slickers (1991)
9
3
City Slickers
PG-13
9
3

Going through a midlife crisis, three city friends decide to take a supervised cattle drive from New Mexico to Colorado. They meet trail-boss, brusque cowboy Curly, who teaches them how to operate like cowboy and also, a thing or two about life. As they face risky ups and downs through the drive, they overcome their crisis to return home as happy men. 

Starring:
Jack Palance, Billy Crystal, Jeffrey Tambor, Daniel Stern, Bruno Kirby, Patricia Wettig
Directed By:
Ron Underwood
26. Wildlife (2018)
8
3
Wildlife
PG-13
8
3

After Jerry is fired from his job, he accepts the job of a forest firefighter, although the job is far beneath him. Jeanette, his wife, is completely against it, but Jerry decides to take the job anyway. Soon, she begins to feel that their marriage is not working out.

Role:
Jerry Brinson
Starring:
Carey Mulligan, Zoe Margaret Colletti, Ed Oxenbould, Bill Camp
Directed By:
Paul Dano
27. Lovely & Amazing (2001)
7
3
Lovely & Amazing
R
7
3

Lovely and Amazing is an American comedy drama film which revolves around the relationship between Jane Marks and her daughters Michelle, Elizabeth and Annie. Longing for a younger and thinner look, Jane opts for liposuction but ends up with tragic results. Meanwhile, her daughter Michelle finds herself falling for a co-worker named Jordan. Elizabeth is dealing with self-esteem issues after she is rejected for a role due to her looks.

Starring:
Dermot Mulroney, Troy Ruptash, Emily Mortimer, Brenda Blethyn, Raven Goodwin
Directed By:
Nicole Holofcener
28. Moonlight Mile (2002)
7
3
Moonlight Mile
PG-13
7
3

Moonlight Mile is a romantic drama film which tells the story of a young man Joe who is trying to cope with the death of his fiancée Diana. He befriends her parents, and tries to become a better person to please those around him. However, things take a turn when another woman enters his life unexpectedly.

Role:
Joe Nast
Starring:
Ellen Pompeo, Holly Hunter, Robert Wahlberg, Dustin Hoffman, Susan Sarandon, Alexia Landeau, Richard Messing
Directed By:
Brad Silberling
29. Bubble Boy (2001)
12
6
Bubble Boy
PG-13
12
6

Bubble Boy is a romantic comedy film, which tells the story of a young man who has been living in a bubble all his life, as he was born without the immune system. He falls for a cute blonde girl, but when her fiancé proposes to her, he decides to stop the wedding at any cost.

Role:
Jimmy Livingston
Starring:
Danny Trejo, Marley Shelton, Swoosie Kurtz, Fabio Lanzoni, John Carroll Lynch
Directed By:
Blair Hayes
30. The Good Girl (2002)
7
4
The Good Girl
R
7
4

Justine is a 30 year old girl working in a Texas discount store, who is quite dissatisfied with her routine life and her lazy, pot-smoking husband. Her life takes a turn when she meets a young man who considers himself as the incarnation of Holden Caulfield. 

Role:
Holden Worther
Starring:
Jennifer Aniston, Zooey Deschanel, Deborah Rush, Mike White
Directed By:
Miguel Arteta
31. The Guilty (2021)
10
3
The Guilty
16
10
3

Joe Baylor is a troubled LAPD officer who has been demoted to working at a 911 call center, for an incident that had occurred months ago. He answers a call from a woman named Emily, who tells him that she has been abducted, and that she is in a white van with her abductor. He tries his best to save the woman, but nothing is as it seems.

Role:
Joe Baylor
Starring:
Riley Keough
32. Ambulance (2022)
7
3
Ambulance
UA
7
3

Ambulance is an action crime thriller film which tells the story of a man who is in need of a significant sum of money to pay for his wife’s medical bills. Therefore, he teams up with his adoptive brother to steal $32 million from a bank in Los Angeles. However, their heist doesn’t go as expected, and they are forced to hijack an ambulance to escape. With the law enforcement forces after them, they now also need to ensure that their hostages stay alive.

Role:
Danny Sharp
Starring:
Eiza González
33. Highway (2002)
6
3
Highway
R
6
3

After being found in bed with a mobster’s wife, Jack is forced to flee from Vegas. He is accompanied by his friend Pilot, and they make their way to Seattle. However, Jack is unsure why Pilot wants to go to Seattle out of all places. On the way, they give a ride to a distressed young woman named Cassie, and an aging stoner who is also on his way to Seattle.

Role:
Pilot
Starring:
Jeremy Piven, Selma Blair, Jared Leto, John C. McGinley
Directed By:
James Cox
34. A Dangerous Woman (1993)
5
3
A Dangerous Woman
R
5
3
Starring:
Gabriel Byrne, Debra Winger, Laurie Metcalf, Maggie Gyllenhaal, John Terry
Directed By:
Stephen Gyllenhaal
35. Velvet Buzzsaw (2018)
6
5
Velvet Buzzsaw
R
6
5

Velvett Buzzsaw is a mystery horror drama film, which tells the story of a supernatural force which gets released, after a recently deceased artist’s paintings are discovered. The supernatural force starts enacting revenge on those who allowed their greed to get in the way of art.  

Starring:
Natalia Dyer, Toni Collette, Tom Sturridge, John Malkovich, Rene Russo, Billy Magnussen
Directed By:
Dan Gilroy
36. Homegrown (1998)
6
3
Homegrown
R
6
3

Homegrown is a black comedy thriller film which tells the story of Jack, Carter and Harlan, who work as farmhands for Malcolm, a marijuana harvester. Their lives turn upside down when their boss is killed, and the trio decide to take over the business. However, it soon seems that running the business is not as easy as they had imagined.  

Starring:
Jon Bon Jovi, Billy Bob Thornton, John Lithgow, Ted Danson, Steve Carell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Hank Azaria
Directed By:
Stephen Gyllenhaal
37. Josh and S.A.M. (1993)
5
3
Josh and S.A.M.
PG-13
5
3
Starring:
Udo Kier, Jacob Tierney, Noah Fleiss, Martha Plimpton, Stephen Tobolowsky
Directed By:
Billy Weber
38. Accidental Love (2015)
4
3
Accidental Love
PG-13
4
3

After getting a nail accidentally lodged in her head, a small town waitress begins to behave erratically. She eventually heads to Washington DC, where a young politician begins to develop feelings for her.

Starring:
Tracy Morgan, Bill Hader, Kirstie Alley, James Marsden, James Brolin, Jessica Biel, Raymond L. Brown Jr.
Directed By:
David O. Russell

TV Shows

Homicide: Life on the Street
24
3
Homicide: Life on the Street
TV-14
24
3
Starring:
Chris Rock, Bruce Campbell, John Waters, Christopher Meloni, Robin Williams, Daniel Baldwin, Eric Stoltz
The Shoes: Time to Dance (2012)
10
3
The Shoes: Time to Dance
10
3
Starring:
Tahliah Barnett
Directed By:
Daniel Wolfe
Inside Amy Schumer
14
9
Inside Amy Schumer
TV-14
14
9
Starring:
Liam Neeson, Julia Stiles, Bill Nye, Tina Fey, Natasha Lyonne, Patricia Arquette, Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Directed By:
Ryan McFaul, Neal Brennan, Steven K. Tsuchida, Daniel Powell, Amy Schumer
Jay-Z Feat. Beyoncé: Part II - On the Run (2014)
5
3
Jay-Z Feat. Beyoncé: Part II - On the Run
5
3
Starring:
Blake Lively, Sean Penn, Don Cheadle, Emmy Rossum, Guillermo Díaz
Directed By:
Melina Matsoukas
Jamie Foxx Ft. T-Pain: Blame It (2009)
5
3
Jamie Foxx Ft. T-Pain: Blame It
5
3
Role:
Jake Gyllenhaal
Starring:
Ron Howard, Jamie Foxx, Samuel L. Jackson, Forest Whitaker
Directed By:
Hype Williams

Animation Movies

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers (2005)
10
5
The Man Who Walked Between the Towers
10
5
Role:
Narrator (voice)
Directed By:
Michael Sporn

Jake Gyllenhaal Awards

BAFTA Awards
Brokeback Mountain Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role 2006
MTV Movie & TV Awards
Brokeback Mountain Best Performance 2006
Brokeback Mountain Best Kiss 2006