Such an extraordinary film - and memorable largely because of it's ambiguity. Is Frank leading Donnie to his doom, or inspiring him to heroic self-sacrifice - or even just redressing the cosmic balance, leading him to the death he should have died in that lucky escape at the beginning of the movie? In a way, all three are true at once...

I totally agree Debbie. I personally LOVE the fact that the plot isn't perfectly spelled out in kindergarden crayons. "Donnie Darko" mirrors real life in that we also long to answer the constant question of what is the "ultimate joystick" controlling this game we're in?

Great write up as ever Jason. A favourite of mine and fully agree with you both, the ambiguity is what makes the film.....it is refreshing to have a film leave you to make up your own mind about events and take your own messages from it. And Frank is a suitably "odd" character to guide you on your journey with Donnie. And I love the ending of the film as Gretchen looks at Donnie's mum, after everything has been "reset" and there is that glint of recognition....topped off with Gary Jules singing Mad World.....sublime. And the extended cut is worth a view as well, as it doesn't answer any questions outright, but does give you a few more clues to play around with in your head. Need to watch it now!

Thank you very much Mark. I'm glad you enjoyed this Frank profile :) Before writing this up I re-watched both the original "Donnie Darko" and Richard Kelly's Director's Cut and both versions do the Darko story justice. I totally agree with you about how cool that Gretchen/Mrs. Darko hint of recognition at the end is. Reminds me of the spinning "totem" at the end of "Inception." I love endings that ask questions. The passages from Grandma Death's time travel book in the Director's Cut do help clarify the alternate universe activity. For a deeper "Donnie Darko" analysis, take a peep at this >>> http://www.donniedarko.org.uk/philosphy-of-time-travel/

Thanks for the link Jason, will have a look. I do like the way the Director's Cut complements the theatrical cut, but without throwing in extra information that means the original makes less sense....if that makes sense. I've put together a guest post for Scott's Hidden Gems series this month on The Fountain, which shares a similar love (for me) as Donnie Darko. In much the same way it lets the viewer make up their own mind about a lot of the questions raised in the film, but it lays out all the clues you need to do so.....both great, intelligent films that treat their audience as intelligent viewers. I've not quite got around to watching S.Darko yet though......