3. Donnie Darko(2001)
Richard Kellys cult classic reminds me of
12 Monkeys in many ways: a protagonist haunted by visions and tasked with averting the destruction of civilization as we know it, ends up sacrificing himself in the process of his mission (again, sorry if you havent seen it but seriously where the hell have you been?) Originally intended for a straight-to-DVD release,
Donnie Darko struggled to turn a profit during its cinema run, but as is the case with most cult films, went onto find a huge audience on DVD.
Donnie Darko was a career-defining performance for
Jake Gyllenhaal, one he has never bettered and probably never will. As the tormented titular hero Gyllenhaal is brilliant as are most of the other members of what is a very strong cast given the films budget constraints.
Donnie Darko is a master class in the philosophy of time travel and although it can seem like somewhat of a mindfuck on first viewing, when studied in greater depth actually becomes a brilliantly thought out and coherent study of fate and destiny within the time travel framework and rightfully deserves its moniker as one of the best films of the 21st century, as well as being one of, if not the, most important.