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Donnie Darko: The Director's Cut
EMAILPRINTNewmarket Film Group

Universal acclaim
Based on 15 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 80 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Sci-fi
Written by: Richard Kelly
Directed by: Richard Kelly
Release Date:
Theatrical: July 23, 2004
DVD: February 15, 2005
Running Time: 133 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: R for language, some drug use and violence
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Mary McDonnell, Drew Barrymore, Noah Wyle, Patrick Swayze, and Katharine Ross
This Director's Cut from writer/director Richard Kelly features 20 minutes of never-before-seen footage.
Also On Metacritic
FILM: Donnie Darko Southland Tales
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database View The Trailer Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Village Voice Dennis Lim
Obsessives will be familiar with the "new" material (almost all available on the original DVD), which elaborates on the time-travel metaphysics and tightens the emotional screws. Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal) shares one additional tender exchange with each family member
Read Full Review >Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt
The director's cut of this 2001 cult fantasy is a deliriously subtle exploration of storytelling possibilities, and a deliciously wry teen-pic to boot. Brilliant.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas
Donnie Darko" was one of the best pictures released in 2001. Now that it has returned in a 20-minute longer--and richer -- director's cut, it seems sure to be ranked as one of the key American films of the decade.
Read Full Review >Dallas Observer Gregory Weinkauf
In this bolder, longer new cut, characters are allowed to finish scenes previously left as DVD extras, effects are creepier, and the theories of "the Tangent Universe" are explored in greater depth. Friends and neighbors, this is a Great American Movie.
Read Full Review >Washington Post Desson Thomson
Contains about 10 additional minutes and is as fabulous and enjoyable as ever. To be honest, I didn't even notice the new material, having not seen the original film since its 2001 release. I just saw a film that works beautifully and has held together well.
Read Full Review >Washington Post Ann Hornaday
If Kelly felt it necessary to add the new material, that's all to the good. It just means there's more to love.
Read Full Review >Chicago Tribune Robert K. Elder
With 20 additional minutes of screen time, the director's cut of Richard Kelly's genre-splicing "Donnie Darko" offers new viewers a second chance to discover his mind-bending masterwork.
Read Full Review >Boston Globe Leighton Klein
The director's cut has been getting a much warmer critical reception than the original release, but not necessarily because it's significantly better.
Read Full Review >Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman
The longer film makes Donnie's intentions clearer, explains the time-travel theme better and also leaves us in no doubt as to Frank's identity.
Read Full Review >Empire Dan Jolin
If you're returning for more Donnie, you'll still have tears in your eyes come the sublime Mad World conclusion. If it's your first viewing, you should still be wowed by an astounding masterpiece. But this is undoubtedly the lesser of the two cuts, and since you have the choice, you should stick with version one.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader Lisa Alspector
This surreal, subversive teen drama tanked at the box office but has since become a cult favorite, prompting this new release with 20 minutes of additional footage.
Read Full Review >Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
The director's cut adds footage that enriches and extends the material but doesn't alter its tone. It adds footnotes that count down to a deadline, but without explaining the nature of the deadline or the usefulness of the countdown.
Read Full Review >Portland Oregonian M. E. Russell
Longer cut's slapdash additions make a cool, ambiguous film more literal; original 2001 version is far better.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Chronicle Walter Addiego
To members of the Darko cult, this may not be an improvement, but it could help this compelling and extremely moving film find the audience it deserves.
Read Full Review >New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman
Immensely moving and strikingly original, Kelly's story of a brilliant, disturbed teen (Jake Gyllenhaal) drowning in the cultural morass of the 1980s now feels bloated.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 8.3 (out of 10) based on 80 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Al P. gave it a10:
There is a nobility to this film which moved me greatly- More than any other film in recent memory. Unfortunately, it is apparently missed by a great many. Quite simply the most surprisingly brilliant film of it's year and in my top 5 films of all time.
chris m gave it a1:
Not a good movie, once more the wooly rabbit suit is pulled over our eyes.
Doug E. gave it a10:
Any film that demands multiple viewings (not just to get at the nooks and crannies of the plot, but also to fully realize its emotional depth) gets a 10 in my book. Initially frightening and disorienting, upon subsequent viewings, Donnie Darko hits a surprising emotional pitch. Watch the director's cut first, and then I suggest taking in the original theatrical version for its tightness and pacing.
[Anonymous] gave it a10:
Probably one of the best movies I have seen.
Wayne H. gave it a2:
Did I miss something?
Goose G gave it a9:
Solid in every facet.
Daw S. gave it a9:
Whether or not you prefer the original or the director's cut depends largely on whether you like your sci-fi to be a little ambiguous and not too literal, or whether you prefer it to be unshamedly speculative. It's possible to make a "psychological" interpretation of the original, but the director's cut leaves no doubt that this is a sci-fi film - essentially about time travel. This is a masterpiece.
