Jake Gyllenhaal is one of Hollywood’s most versatile actors, and he has pushed his creative limits since he broke into the industry. It was apparent in spades in the psychological thriller, Donnie Darko, with Richard Kelly at its helm, with the role winning him accolades.
Since its release in 2001, the film has become quite popular among film buffs, and it has gained a bit of a cult following. The plot takes the viewers on a ride right off the bat. However, there was one scene, so gruesome, that even the director could not add to the director’s cut.
What is Jake Gyllenhaal’s Donnie Darko about?
The film follows the story of Donald ‘Donnie’ Darko, a troubled teenager. His world is turned upside down when his sleepwalking habit helps him to escape a bizarre accident, where a jet engine falls on his house. Miraculously, his family survives, but Donnie starts having visions about Frank, a man dressed like a rabbit.
Frank has an ominous message for Donnie- the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds. The events that follow Frank’s visit, are viewed through the protagonist’s near-schizophrenic lens since his days are numbered. As Donnie continues his march toward his end, his parents try to help him by taking him to a psychotherapist. Even though the protagonist is struggling with his mental health, he starts dating Gretchen Ross, who is new to their community.
In the meantime, Donnie starts following Frank’s advice, and not all of them end well. In a rather sad turn of events, Donnie loses Gretchen to an accident and then he shoots the driver of the car since he was dressed as Frank from his vision, but it was his sister, Elizabeth’s boyfriend. As he is carrying Gretchen’s body back, a vortex forms over his house.
A plane gets caught in the storm, and the jet engine falls through the roof. Only this time, Donnie dies in the freak accident, with the plot coming to a full circle. Jake Gyllenhaal played the struggling protagonist, and it even won him a nomination as the Best Male Lead in the Independent Spirit Awards.
Why did Richard Kelly not include one gruesome scene in the director’s cut of Donnie Darko?
Richard Kelly was inspired by Stephen King to include elements of time travel in his film. He definitely handled it nicely in the film, which has been recognized as among the 50 Best Independent Films by Entertainment Weekly.
However, the director’s cut, which came out in 2003, varies from the theatrical version, and another awkward scene was left out of it. Kelly’s extended version provides a few more answers, thus diluting the mystery. One scene, however, still did not make the cut, even though it was shot-Donnie’s death scene.
In the theatrical cut, Donnie’s death is not explicitly shown, even though he is carried out in a body bag. Kelly and Gyllenhaal did shoot it, though. When the jet engine falls through the rough, Donnie gets impaled by a piece of metal from the debris. In a way, Kelly’s decision to not include it makes sense since the brutality of the scene would have taken away from the mood he was aiming for.
Kelly’s film left an impression, and it paved the way for others to follow. The director’s cut of Donnie Darko can be streamed on Peacock.
