Jake Gyllenhaal: a consistently good actor

Jake Gyllenhaal at 'Brothers' Press Conference in Los Angeles, on 3rd December 2009. Additions from the IHJ gallery.

Jake Gyllenhaal as Tommy Cahill walking under a snowfall in "Brothers" (2009).

“Brothers” isn’t Tommy’s story, but he acts as our guide into the headspace of the Cahills, who serve without question, trusting in the purity of home as their reward. Source: www.brianorndorf.com

"Mr. Gyllenhaal is so consistently good an actor that he has a tendency to get overlooked in favor of flashier co-stars, but without him this movie would be meaningless. Tommy is smartening up, taking responsibility for his life and realizing he has the power to make better choices now, while Sam had thought he had it all figured out. The differences between Messrs. Maguire and Gyllenhaal — who are perfectly cast — before and after the deployment are subtle but very striking. Before, Sam was a little bit smug, certain about himself and his life, while it was Tommy that squirmed at the dinner table". Source: www.criticsnotebook.com

Carey Mulligan and Natalie Portman as Cassie Willis and Grace Cahill in "Brothers".

"Sam returns home a shattered man, especially after Tommy brings to the dinner table his new girlfriend, Willis’s widow Cassie (Carey Mulligan). Hank admits that his harshness toward his two sons can be traced to his own combat experience in Vietnam. How that plays out is similar to Stop Loss (2008) but with a very different ending. The Political Film Society has nominated Brothers as best film on the vices of war and virtues of peaceful conflict resolution". MH Source: www.polfilms.com