Make sure you see one of the best films of 2001 and one of the most stunning debuts of a director ever.

Rating: Null/10 (5 February 2002)

You'd think angst in the late 80's was reserved for those who could foresee Wall Street greed transform itself into a monumental crash a little more than a decade later. Then there's Donnie Darko, who could see the end of the world prophesied by a menacing Harvey-like bunny, a sort of guardian devil.
The film `Donnie Darko,' directed by first-timer Richard Kelly, depicts teenage disaffection in such a low-key way as to make it almost sweet, largely due to the eponymous hero as played by the sweetly low-key Jake Gyllenhaal. The precipitating crisis of a falling airplane engine seems to crystallize all the danger of the modern world that Donnie accepts ruefully and cynically. This film is funnier and more truthful than last year's excellent `Ghost World.'
Although at times Kelly seems to be imitating David Lynch, this is as original a film as `American Beauty,' `Memento,' or `Mulholland Drive' and sometimes just as dense. Yet there are moments of clarity such as when he tells a gym teacher where to put her timeline or when he exposes the self-help guru (Patrick Swayze) for what he really is. Donnie is a crusader for the disaffected teens of the world.
The key ingredient of the film's success is that Donnie appears to be normal except when he's bullied by a giant rabbit. Not a totally weird kid, just a slightly rebellious teen who can see the end coming. Make sure you see one of the best films of 2001 and one of the most stunning debuts of a director ever.