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Donnie Darko: Director's Cut (2001)

Director: Richard Kelly

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From Time Out London

More rabbits. More family wrangling. Much esoteric ‘Philosophy of Time Travel’. New designer graphics. A revamped soundscape. None of this helps straighten out Richard Kelly’s entertaining 2001 adventure in dopey teen relativity, now some 20 minutes longer thanks to a mix of commercial opportunism (the film has been a belated cult hit in the States) and upped artistic licence: Kelly says the original cut was cramped, both narratively and financially. He’s not wrong, but then nor was whoever judged that letting the film run for two hours and 11 minutes would feel self-indulgent.
Fans will have seen half of the new scenes on the original DVD as deleted extras, which is arguably where they belong; but whichever way you prefer the film buttered, nothing detracts from its original virtues. Kelly’s dialogue, the high-school satire and the Darko family’s interaction are as ripe as ever.

Author: NB 0000-00-00 00:00:00

Time Out London Issue 1775: August 25-September 1, 2004