Moody and mysterious

Rating: 8/10 (7 October 2015)

Richard Kelly, the director of "Donnie Darko", could be considered a 'one hit wonder'. His debut feature film was this atmospheric cult favourite about a teenage boy (Jake Gyllenhaal) who has visions of a huge rabbit warning him that the world will end in 28 days. Unique and thought-provoking, the film represents a high water mark that Kelly hasn't come close to matching in the 14 years since.
Kelly's screenplay is perhaps the film's biggest asset. Daringly unique, the story is highly unpredictable. The plot is shrouded in an air of mystery that keeps the tension high throughout the proceedings. The eventual payoff is satisfying as well.
Kelly's direction is sure-handed throughout and shows a keen grasp of building and maintaining suspense. The movie's score and period specific soundtrack also enforce the overall atmosphere of the film. It certainly isn't a presentation that suggests the inexperience of a first time director.
When it comes to the cast, it's surprisingly good for a movie with a relatively small budget. Jake Gyllenhaal wasn't well known at the time, nor was his sister Maggie, who plays his sister in the movie as well. It's a bit of a surprise to see Patrick Swayze here, though he is effective in the role of a motivational speaker. Other notables include Katharine Ross as Donnie's psychiatrist, Mary McDonnell as his mother and Noah Wyle as his science teacher. Drew Barrymore (who was also one of the producers) has a small part as well but I don't think that she was quite right for the role.
Ultimately, "Donnie Darko" succeeds mainly because it doesn't give too much away in terms of the central mystery. If you explore the movie's supplemental material you'll see that some of Kelly's explanations are pretty far out, so I think that it was fortunate that the movie played it close to the vest. Leaving the explanations to the viewer can be somewhat risky but in this case it worked.