☆ ☆ ½
Wild
at Heart (1990) – D. Lynch
David Lynch cranks out gruelling sex and uber-violence
and disconnected Wizard of Oz references in an overblown yet somehow languorous
(and too long) version of the titular book (which I haven’t read). Sailor (Nic Cage) and Lula (Laura Dern) are
young lovers on the run from her mother (Diane Ladd; yes, really her mother)
and the strange thugs she hires to kill him (Harry Dean Stanton, Willem Dafoe
included). Not much makes sense (as
usual) but something is missing here from the Lynch films that “work” – perhaps
his feel for the mysterious has been sacrificed for a hysterical metallic
sheen? There are some arresting images (including some that you can’t “unsee”),
fleeting cameos, and puzzling inserts but it doesn’t carry you along as Lost
Highway does (despite its own failures) and it doesn’t resonate with unearthed
themes as Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive do.
Cage and Dern got a raw deal, despite their willingness to go all the
way. This reminds me why it took me a
long time to warm up to Lynch. Give it a
miss.
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