We’ve always loved Jake Gyllenhaal, for obvious reasons. I mean just examine Exhibit A below. This darkly handsome gent has been making some of our favorite movies for over two decades now. They haven’t all been winners, but the audience always wins when Jake is involved.

As he’s matured he’s started taking on much darker roles. Donnie Darko kind of started the trend back in ’01, but lately it’s been more and more frequent. So we decided to check up on some of these movies to see just how good this dude is at brooding in a shower. Turns out…he’s pretty great at it! We checked out Enemy, about a man who discovers another version (a doppleganger) of himself; Prisoners, in which he plays a detective trying to find two kidnapped girls; and Zodiac, where he plays a cartoonist wrapped up in the investigation of the Zodiac killer.

The first two are directed by Denis Villeneuve, who you’ll know more recently as the director of Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, and Zodiac was made by the incomparable David Fincher. Each movie is great in their own way, and Jake shines in each role without them all feeling the same. We joked earlier about his handsomeness, but his talent really can’t be overstated.

So buckle up, take some happy pills, and get ready for a dark dive into the world of Jake Gyllenhaal in this episode of So…I’m Watching This Show!

JAKE GYLLENHAAL SHOWNOTES!

Exhibit A.