Gutsy and brilliant

Rating: 10/10 (20 July 2008)

It takes a lot of guts to purposefully make a movie that makes no sense, especially if it's meant to be serious. But strangely, "Donnie Darko" works because it hints at so many things, which are explained with just enough information, that it's always captivating.
Donnie Darko (a terrific Jake Gyllenhall) is an already troubled kid when the movie starts. But when a mysterious bunny rabbit draws him away from his house, thus saving him from a fatal accident, the real story starts.
Apart from what Iv'e said before, there are two things that are really surprising about this movie: how professional it looks, and the star power it has. According to the IMDb trivia, "Donnie Darko" had a 5 million dollar budget. But this film looks as professional as any other film that's released with a budget fifty times that. That's especially interesting considering the star power it has. Either Richard Kelly was very good at selling his script, or all the actors immediately got everything just by reading it (which I would have thought impossible because a lot of the stuff that happens is very visual). I guess it also helps that Drew Barrymore is an executive producer. Whatever it is, it worked, and the movie is all the better for it.
This is a love it or hate it movie. If you don't like to think when you watch movies, you'd probably be better off staying away from this one. You're not "invited" to think during this movie, thinking is pretty much a necessity. It's that complex. But for those who are willing to give this a try, the experience is well worth your time and money.