Review of Wild at Heart (1990) by Daniel C — 27 May 2009

Now, I am a Lynch fan. I love the way he is able to tap into the most disturbing recesses of the subconscious, dredge up the most visceral, unnerving and insane thoughts, ideas and images, which reside there, and transfer them onto the screen. This was done superbly in Eraserhead and the pilot of Twin Peaks.

It pains me to say, then, that this does not come up to par. It's almost like he is running a 'how to be a Lychian director' class, and has made this as an educational tool. It's like 'Lynch does Lynch'; he has become conscious of what we expect, and has tried too hard.

Consequently, it comes off like a parody, and performances from certain people - most notably, Nicolas Cage - do not help. I get the feeling he is going for a James Dean in Rebel Without A Cause kind of vibe, but unfortunately, does a kind of disaffected Elvis.

There are some flashes of the old master, but mostly this is a disappointing offering from someone so original.