Fred Madison (Bill Pullman,) a successful jazz saxophonist, finds himself on death row for the murder of his wife (Patricia Arquette.)  However, while in prison, he mysteriously transforms into another man, Pete Dayton (Balthazar Getty,) who is released to return to his job at a garage.  However, Dayton’s life starts getting complicated when the mistress (also played by Arquette) of a mobster named Mr. Eddy (Robert Loggia) takes a liking to the young man.

CRITIQUE

David Lynch is not a director one can easily discuss.  I both love his work (Twin Peaks, Eraserhead) and completely loath it (Mulholland Dr., Dune.) What makes me come back time and time again is that his films are usually surreal and I have to exercise my brain trying to figure out what is going on.  Granted, many of his films seem to have no central logic and end up being weird for the sake of weirdness, and those are the ones that drive me mad.  Lost Highway is one of those films.

The film begins with Fred Madison receiving a cryptic call at his home, telling him that “Dick Laurent is dead.”  Soon he begins to receive strange videos of someone, at first, watching his house. Another video arrives, this time shot from inside the house while Fred and his wife are sleeping.  A final video arrives, this time showing Fred’s wife, lying on their bed, brutally murdered.  Framed for the death of his wife, Fred finds himself on death row, awaiting the end.

However, as the guards check up on him one day, they discover a young man is now occupying the cell.  Having no reason to keep the kid in jail, they let him go.  He returns to his job, only to find himself getting involved with the mistress of a mobster.  Things get even more complicated when she hatches a “foolproof” plan for them to escape their lives.

When it comes to Lynch, there are two types of people – those who get it, and those who don’t.  In the case of Lost Highway, I am the latter.  As far as I can tell, Lost Highway is two separate films that somehow ran into each other, because the two stories have absolutely nothing to do with one another other than sharing a performance by Patricia Arquette.  But then, fans of Lynch (or at least of the surreal) should get a kick out of it.

On a technical level, there really isn’t anything bad to say about it. The film is brilliantly directed, Lynch manages to maintain a level of creepiness and unease throughout the entire film.  The cast is wonderful, with an especially creepy performance by Robert Blake, who plays a mysterious man who seems to be able to be two places at once.

THE VIDEO

Lost Highway’s transfer is far from perfect.  There is quite a bit of grain which prevents the film from looking pristine.  However, the grain does manage to add to the noir feel of the film.  Everything else about the transfer is good though.

THE AUDIO

Lost Highway is presented in Dolby 5.1 Surround and sounds wonderful.  None of the dialogue is lost (even when the dialogue is just whispers) and the surround sound adds to the level of creepiness that surrounds the film.

THE EXTRAS

Absolutely nothing.

FINAL THOUGHT

Fans of Lynch will love this film, though those who have never seen anything by Lynch might want to start with something a little more accessible than this.