Review of Lost Highway (1997) by Stuart K — 28 Apr 2014
Directed by David Lynch, his first film since Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992) which completely split his fans down the middle. Lynch teamed up with Barry Gifford, whose novel Wild at Heart had become Lynch's 1990 magnum opus.
This is Lynch's take on a psychological thriller, and it was a sign of things to come in Mulholland Drive (2001) and Inland Empire (2006), it's hypnotic and absolutely bonkers. Saxophonist Fred Madison (Bill Pullman) starts to have strange visions, seeing the face of a pale old man (Robert Blake) on that of his wife Renee (Patricia Arquette).
After the mysterious man appears to Fred saying he works for Dick Laurent (Robert Loggia), Fred watches a video of himself apparently murdering Renee. He is tried and sentenced to death, but one day before his death, officers find the man in Fred's cell isn't Fred, but a young auto mechanic called Pete Dayton (Balthazar Getty).
He returns to work, and repairs a car for gangster Mr. Eddy (Loggia again), and Pete ends up having an affair with Eddy's mistress Alice Wakefield (Arquette again). It requires full attention, but even that might not get you anywhere.
As you don't know where this story is going to go, it's just down right peculiar. But, Lynch gets the best out of his cast, and it's a film about identity and altered states of physical representation.
It's a mad fever dream, but Lynch would shock audiences again.
This review of Lost Highway (1997) was written by Stuart K on 28 Apr 2014.
Lost Highway has generally received positive reviews.
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