Jake Gyllenhaal’s last great film is Nightcrawler. (Spare us with your “what about Man Bites Dog” contradictions; Dan Gilroy’s 2014 film on the extremities of ruin media is great in its own right.)
Meanwhile, last year’s Southpaw is weighed down by a completely hosed narrative, and Everest relegates ol’ Jake in the permafrozen background. Not that Gyllenhaal didn’t do great in these films—he is nothing but—it’s an issue of the films themselves. It’s great news, then, that the actor is reuniting with Québécois director Denis Villenueve, with whom he previously collaborated with in Prisoners and Enemy.
The new film is called The Son, a story, like about a thousand crime-thrillers, borrowed from a same-name novel written by Jo Nesbø. The story goes like this: “Sonny Lofthus (Gyllenhaal) is serving time for crimes he didn’t commit. As payment, he receives a steady supply of drugs to satisfy his addiction. His life changes completely when he learns the truth about his father’s death.” Interesting stuff.
The film has yet to announce a release date, but I’m thinking it’s a wee far off still, what with Villenueve’s untitled Blade Runner project, and Gyllenhaal’s half a dozen projects already lined up. But hey, I’m keeping on the lookout. And so should you.
In the meantime, here’s today’s daily Gyllenhaal .GIF. Apparently that’s a thing.
