Spoiler free review of a great film

Rating: Null/10 (3 June 2003)

Donnie Darko is a high school student who, one day almost randomly, is visited by a giant rabbit called Frank. Frank tells Donnie that the world is going to end in just a little over twenty-eight days. Then Donnie returns to his normal lifeÂ…
But the question is, is Donnie Darko little more than another David Lynch wannabe or is it something more profound? Well, initial impressions of the film suggest that this is no more than gimmicky, philosophical posturing (something many people accuse the Matrix movies of being). However if you did deeper as a viewer, bountiful rewards await as Donnie Darko (like the character itself) has more to it than meets the eye.
After the slightly detached opening sequence, the first thing that strikes you about the film is Jake Gylenhaal. Even at the film's most conventional (i.e. the dinner table scene near the beginning of the film) he practically leaps off the screen and envelopes you whole with his movie star cred. Forget Colin Farrell (well, maybe) but Jake is the real deal. He brings an arrogance and a vulnerability to Donnie which is never short of touching. He has good support too. Patrick Swayze is the epitome of superficiality as the self-help guru while Drew Barrymore pulls a superior version of her usual doe-eyed performance.
Also, something else interesting to note about the film is the use of music. The opening uses music quite efficiently in encapsulating Donnie's character but it's the penultimate scene in the film with the Tears for Fears song `Mad World' that surprises you the most. That scene rates amongst the most heartbreaking of any modern film. I will stop myself there, because I want you to discover it for yourself.
If the film did have a flaw, t would be that it often feels like the debut movie it is. Its not that Richard Kelly's writing or direction is pretentious or dull- it just seems a little precious at times. There are some striking elements of the film (like Donnie's form of `real' spirituality versus Swayze's fake version) that scream `film school graduate' due to their simplicity- which does slightly mar an otherwise exceptional piece of work.
Not quite the ground-breaker it would like to think it is, Donnie Darko is still one of the most captivating, soulful, ambiguous and thought-provoking (and possibly one of the best??) films of the last few years. And for that, Mr. Kelly- I salute you