Movie Rewind: Donnie Darko (2001)

Director: Richard Kelly

Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal (The Day After Tomorrow, Brokeback Mountain), Maggie Gyllenhaal (Secretary, The Dark Knight), Mary McDonnell (Dances with Wolves, Battlestar Galactica), Patrick Swayze (Ghost, Dirty Dancing), Jena Malone (Into the Wild), Drew Barrymore (Charlie's Angels), Noah Wyle (ER), Beth Grant, Holmes Osborne

The Deal: Donnie Darko (Gyllenhaal) is a paranoid schizophrenic anti-social teenager whose life is saved by a giant rabbit named Frank that only he can see, who informs Donnie that the world will end in 28 days 6 hours 42 minutes and 12 seconds. Donnie must follow Frank's destructive instructions which have a large impact on the people around him, and lead Donnie towards his true destiny.

Thoughts: The cast in the film was absolutely perfect; Jake Gyllenhaal's performance remains the best of his career in my opinion. Grant (the over-involved, bitchy teacher/parent), Swayze (a motivation speaker hiding a "kiddie-porn dungeon"), Malone (the girlfirend), and McDonnel (the mother) all give outstanding performances, and the rest of the cast turned in solid or better themselves.

One of this film's greatest strengths is its wonderful soundtrack. Every song fits the film perfectly, culminating in the brilliantly sad and fitting cover of "Mad World" performed by Gary Jules. The story is complex and very engaging, and the themes of destiny and time travel are huge and require a close eye from the viewer. Every scene is critical to the story as a whole, playing much larger roles than one would initially believe.

As I said before, this is a very complex film, and one of the biggest reasons why I like it so much. It requires multiple viewings to absorb every piece of the puzzle, and with each viewing the story somehow gets deeper and deeper. I highly suggest viewing the original theatrical version over the director's cut, at least initially. The director's cut spoils some of the conclusions that could be discovered with 2 or 3 viewings of the theatrical release, which in my opinion spoils the grandeur of the movie. Once you have formed your hypothesis, the director's cut will then give them a little more definition and direction, but there's no need to ruin the fun of discovery, because if you think about it enough, all the stuff is there in the theatrical release.

Verdict: Absolutely my favorite film of all time. The story is complex and engaging, the acting is superb, and the soundtrack is beautifully fitting. A definite must see! ☆☆☆☆☆

Liked It? Try These: The Butterfly Effect (2004), The Prestige (2006), The Fountain (2006)