"The world is going to end in a little more than twenty-eight days. Donnie Darko knows this because Frank, the human-sized rabbit he hallucinates, told him so. Donnie Darko is the provocative new movie from first time writer/director Richard Kelly. This movie defies any normal sense of categorization. It has elements of teen comedy, wicked satire, horror, suspense, science fiction, and various other genres all colliding into one, bizarre, compelling, and very watchable movie.
Gyllenhaal lends a chilling performance to the film. His face exudes that of innocence, so when he looks menacingly into the camera, it is truly eerie. Watching him with his head bowed, eyes looking up and holding an axe is just great. He combines the varied emotions of rage, loneliness, and angst into a good portrayal of one messed up kid.
The purpose of the Cunningham character, aside from poking fun at self-esteem, is almost purely for laughs. He contrasts some very funny humor with excessively dark imagery, and it works. Kelly also refuses to talk down to the audience. He throws in some heady concepts with minimal explanation, expecting the viewer to know what he is talking about. The ending may let some people down, but overall, Donnie Darko is an unsetting, highly original movie that deserves a look."
Excerpt from: www.haro-online.com/movies/donnie_darko.html
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