An Officer and A Gentleman

Directed by Taylor Hackford and written by Douglas Day Stewart, An Officer and a Gentleman is the story of a troubled man who joins the naval academy as he contends with an uncompromising drill sergeant as well as his own demons while falling for a local woman. The film is an exploration into a young man who is trying to find himself through the Naval academy as he tries to escape the life he is destined to be from his own father. Starring Richard Gere, Debra Winger, David Keith, Lisa Eilbacher, Harold Sylvester, Lisa Blount, Grace Zabriskie, David Caruso, Robert Loggia, Tony Plana, and Louis Gossett Jr. An Officer and a Gentleman is a riveting film from Taylor Hackford.

Set in the American Pacific Northwest, the film revolves a Naval officer candidate who arrives at the naval academy to make something of himself as he deals with a no-holds-barred drill sergeant while he falls for a local woman who is eager to get out of her small town life. It’s really a film that is about two people trying to make changes in their lives as they both have to contend with themselves and their own environments. Especially as they’re eager to have a chance to get a better life in a world where there’s many expectations and such. For Zachary Mayonnaise (Richard Gere), he hopes to succeed as a naval aviator officer in the hopes that he doesn’t become like his father (Robert Loggia) who has a reputation for being a drunk and chasing whores overseas where the young Zachary was forced to live him following his mother’s suicide.

Douglas Day Stewart’s screenplay explores Mayonnaise’s desire to better himself as he is also known for being a loner that feels guilty for his mother’s death. Upon arriving at this naval academy, he contends with Gunnery Sgt. Foley (Louis Gossett Jr.) who is uncompromising in his tactics but knows what to do in ensuring that his recruits would have to succeed as he sees Mayonnaise as a troublemaker. Even when he discovers that Mayonnaise does do a side business of selling pre-shined shoes and belt buckles for money where Sgt. Foley would haze him to wonder why Mayonnaise wants to be a pilot and why he’s at the academy. While Mayonnaise would befriend other candidates including Sid (David Keith), Seeger (Lisa Eilbacher), and Perryman (Harold Sylvester), he would also do whatever it takes to prove that he can be an officer.

During breaks at the academy, he would meet and fall for Paula Pokrifi (Debra Winger) as she is among the group of women who hopes to bag an officer so they can get out of their life of working in the factory and staying in a small town with little hope. Her friend Lynette (Lisa Blount) would bag Sid as Paula deals with Mayonnaise’s moody behavior and unwillingness to be close to someone as she copes with not having a good life. Especially as she is a naval officer’s daughter who abandoned her mother (Grace Zabriskie) when Paula wasn’t even born as it plays into the roles women have and uneasy one where Lynette would make an announcement for Sid that would compromise his chances to become a naval pilot. Especially as Mayonnaise becomes more reliable in helping others succeed instead of himself as he is unsure if he can be a gentleman for Paula because of his own demons.

Taylor Hackford’s direction is quite simple as he shoots the film largely in the state of Washington for its Pacific Northwest setting along with a few shots set in the Philippines for Mayonnaise’s flashback scene as a kid. Much of it is presented with simple compositions where Hackford use a few wide shots for the setting while maintaining an intimacy into the training sequences and other moments involving Mayonnaise and the hazing he would get from Foley. The usage of close-ups and medium shots are quite prevalent while Hackford does bring in moments of humor along with some intense moments to play into Mayonnaise’s loner persona as he doesn’t make him afraid of being selfish. Even as the moments where Mayonnaise would be hazed with such brutality as it would have this key emotional moment for Mayonnaise about why he refuses to quit.

Hackford also amps up the drama for the film’s third act as it relates to Sid’s own situation with Lynette that would prompt Mayonnaise to do something while coping with the people in his life that he lost. Even as he wonders if is destined to become his own father as it plays into this desire of wanting to not just an officer but also a gentleman in order to give Paula the sense of hope that she needs. Overall, Hackford creates a very engaging and compelling film about a man trying to start a new life in a naval academy and help a woman to escape her own dreary environment.

Cinematographer Donald E. Thorin does excellent work with the cinematography as it‘s quite straightforward to play into the look of its location where the colors are a bit dark and gray while going for more low-key lighting for the scenes at night. Editor Peter Zinner does brilliant work with the editing to capture the intensity of the training along with some straightforward cutting to play into some of dramatic events as well as some montage-style cutting for Mayonnaise‘s flashback scenes. Production designer Philip M. Jeffries, with set decorator James L. Berkey and art director John V. Cartwright, does terrific work with the dorm rooms the naval candidates live in as well as some of the locations such as the training bases and the motel where Mayonnaise and Paula would go to.

Sound editor Clive Smith does nice work with the sound as it‘s very low-key as it plays into the training the candidates go through. The film’s music by Jack Nitzsche is superb for its low-key yet somber score as it features elements of triumphant pieces with its usage of guitars and keyboards while being low-key at times. The film’s music soundtrack features contributions from Pat Benatar, ZZ Top, Dire Straits, Van Morrison, Morris Albert, and the ballad Up Where We Belong that is sung by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warren that is written by Nitzsche, Buffy Sainte-Marie, and Will Jennings as it’s one of the finest love songs of the 1980s.

The casting by Lynn Stalmaster and Nancy Klopper is fantastic as it features notable small roles from Robert Loggia as Mayonnaise’s alcoholic naval seaman father, Tommy Petersen as a young Mayonnaise, Victor French as Paula’s stepfather who doesn’t like naval officers, John Laughlin as an unfortunate townie who got beat up by Mayonnaise, Grace Zabriskie as Paula’s mother, Ed Begley Jr. as the voice of an altitude chamber instructor, Tony Plana as officer candidate Serra, and David Caruso as the naïve officer candidate Daniels. Harold Sylvester is terrific as officer candidate Perryman as a family man trying to make it so he can provide for his family while Lisa Eilbacher is brilliant as officer candidate Seeger as one of the few women who is trying to make it as despite her lack of physical prowess in its obstacle course.

Lisa Blount is excellent as Lynette as a local woman who wants the same thing that Paula wants but a series of misunderstandings would put her into trouble with Sid. David Keith is superb as Sid as another officer candidate who is also trying to succeed until he learns that Lynette might be pregnant as he wonders about what to do. Louis Gossett Jr. is phenomenal as Sgt. Foley as a drill sergeant who is quite tough with his candidates yet is also preparing them for what is to come in combat as he’s also a man that is quite fair as he tries to push Mayonnaise to be a better man and see if he’s worthy of being an officer. Debra Winger is amazing as Paula as a factory worker who is eager to get out of her small town existence as she falls for Mayonnaise as well as try to understand his loner persona. Finally, there’s Richard Gere in an incredible performance as Zack Mayonnaise as a naval officer candidate eager to succeed as he copes with his own guilt and selfishness while finding ways to become a better man for himself and for Paula.

An Officer and a Gentleman is a remarkable film from Taylor Hackford that features great performances from Richard Gere, Debra Winger, and Louis Gossett Jr. It’s a film that isn’t just a compelling romantic drama but also a character study that explores a young man trying to make it in a naval academy to attain a better future for himself. In the end, An Officer and a Gentleman is a tremendous film from Taylor Hackford.

Taylor Hackford Films: (Bukowski) - (Teenage Father) - (The Idolmaker) - (Against All Odds) - (White Nights) - (Hail! Hail! Rock ‘n’ Roll) - (Everybody’s All-American) - (Blood In Blood Out) - (Dolores Claiborne) - (The Devil’s Advocate) - (Proof of Life) - (Ray) - (Love Ranch) - (Parker 2013 film))

© thevoid99 2015

Big (1988 film)

Directed by Penny Marshall and written by Gary Ross and Anne Spielberg, Big is the story of a 12-year old boy who wishes he would be big only to grow up into a 30-year old man as he copes with being an adult working for a toy company as well as having a girlfriend. The film is a magical tale where a boy grows up to be a man through a wish from a fortune teller machine as he would endure the idea of growing up too fast. Starring Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins, John Heard, Jared Rushton, Mercedes Ruehl, David Moscow, Jon Lovitz, and Robert Loggia. Big is a charming and sensational film from Penny Marshall.

What happens when a young boy asks a fortune teller machine to be big where it comes true as he ends up being a 30-year old man? That is pretty much the premise of the film as it explores a boy coping with the idea of growing up and having to do things that adults are supposed to do. For Josh Baskin (Tom Hanks), he would get a job working for a toy company where his love for toys would have him rise up the corporate ladder and gain a girlfriend where he would eventually lose sight of who he really is. While it is a coming-of-age film of sorts, the screenplay by Gary Ross and Anne Spielberg mixes it up with elements of humor into how someone like Josh who may have the body of a 30-year old man but the spirit and mind of a 12-year old would interact with the adult world.

The screenplay showcases a young Josh (David Moscow) asking this fortune teller machine his wish to be big all because he wants to ride a roller coaster with a school crush. Though it does have this idea of be careful what you wish for, Josh would learn that the hard way as he realizes that his wish did come true as the only person he can turn to for help is his best friend Billy (Jared Rushton) who knows a bit more on Josh about the realities of the world. Due to his knowledge in computers, Josh would get a job working for this toy company as he catches the eye of its boss MacMillan (Robert Loggia) who realizes that Josh knows a lot about toys can sell and what toys don’t work in which he would promote Josh much to the ire of executive Paul Davenport (John Heard). Yet, Josh’s ideas and enthusiasm would impress another executive in Susan Lawrence (Elizabeth Perkins) who thinks Josh is a really nice guy and far more mature than the men she had been with.

Penny Marshall’s direction is definitely wondrous in the way she is able to tell a story of a kid who grows up to be an adult. Instead of relying on certain gimmicks and gags about how a kid would act as an adult, Marshall keep things more naturalistic where it’s more about the sense of fear and anxiety that children might face if they do grow up all of a sudden as adults. While many of the compositions are simple, Marshall does manage to keep things engaging in the way she would shoot scenes set in New Jersey and in New York City where the latter is this world that is quite crazy but also very exciting. While there are elements of drama as well as moments that play into Josh’s fear of being by himself and deal with the trappings of adult. There are these moments of humor that are very funny as well as lively scenes that include a very memorable scene of Josh and MacMillan playing a large, foot-operated piano.

The direction also has these moments that are quite intimate in the way Josh and Susan’s relationship develops where it does toe the line between something tender but also creepy considering that Josh is really a kid. Yet, there’s aspects in the direction where Josh presents himself very maturely as its third act play into his desire to return to childhood. Still, there are elements that play into elements of fantasy as it relates to the fortune telling machine that Josh had discovered early in the film as it has this air of mysticism. Even as it reinforces the theme of the idea of wishes as well as what kids want where they would get a glimpse of the idea of adulthood. Overall, Marshall creates a very sensational and heartwarming film about a boy who wishes to be big as he mysteriously grows up to be a man.

Cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld does excellent work with the cinematography from the usage of lights for some of the nighttime interior/exterior scenes including the company party scene as well as some low-key lights for the daytime scenes. Editor Barry Malkin does superb work with the editing as it‘s very straightforward with an inspiring montage scene where Josh moves into an apartment and gets all sorts of stuff. Production designer Santo Loquasto, with set decorators Susan Bode and George DeTitta Jr. and art directors Speed Hopkins and Tom Warren, does fantastic work with the set pieces from the apartment loft that Josh would live in as well as some of the sets created at the FAO Schwartz toy store.

Costume designer Judianna Makovsky does terrific work with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual with the exception of the white tuxedo Josh would wear at the company party. Sound editor Jerry Ross and sound designer Brian Eddolls do nice work with the sound from some of the things Josh hears in his hotel room when he first arrives to New York City as well as some of the sound effects of the toys he would play. The film’s music by Howard Shore is wonderful for its playful piano-based score along with some somber orchestral pieces to play into the drama while the soundtrack features an array of music from classical, standards, and contemporary music from Billy Idol and Huey Lewis & the News.

The casting by Paula Herold and Juliet Taylor is phenomenal as it features some notable small roles from Debra Jo Rupp as Josh’s secretary Miss Patterson, Kimberlee M. Davis as a school crush of Josh early in the film, Josh Clark as Josh’s dad, and Jon Lovitz in a very funny performance as an early co-worker of Josh who says some of the funniest things in the film. David Moscow is excellent as the young Josh who copes with being a kid as well as some of the things he wants to do if he was taller. Mercedes Ruehl is wonderful as Josh’s mother who thinks the adult Josh is her son’s kidnapper as she copes with not having Josh in her home. Jared Rushton is fantastic as Josh’s best friend Billy who helps him deal with being an adult as well as reminding him that he’s really just a kid.

John Heard is brilliant as Paul Davenport as an executive who is not happy with Josh’s rise up the corporate ladder as he is also annoyed by a presentation where Josh says “I don’t get it”. Robert Loggia is great as MacMillan as a toy company boss who tries to figure out how to save his business as he sees Josh as someone that he needs and likes for bringing the kid in him. Elizabeth Perkins is amazing as Susan as this executive who takes a liking to Josh as she would fall for him while seeing that he is very mature as well as quite jovial as he brings the kid in her. Finally, there’s Tom Hanks in one of his most iconic performances as Josh Baskin as this boy who is trapped in a man’s body as he copes with the wish he creates as well as being an adult as Hanks has a lot of energy, charm, and tenderness to his role as it’s so fun to watch.

Big is an absolutely incredible film from Penny Marshall that features an exhilarating and joyful performance from Tom Hanks. Along with a great supporting cast, a fantastic score, and a witty screenplay, it’s a film that manages to capture the heart of a child as well as showing the fears of growing up. It’s also a film that is very accessible for all ages as it is very funny as well as heartwarming. In the end, Big is an outstanding film from Penny Marshall.

Penny Marshall Films: (Jumpin’ Jack Flash) - (Awakenings) - (A League of Their Own) - (Renaissance Man) - (The Preacher’s Wife) - (Riding in Cars with Boys)

© thevoid99 2014

Scarface (1983 film)

Based on the 1932 film directed by Howard Hawks and screenplay by Ben Hecht from a novel by Armitage Trail, Scarface is the story of a Cuban refugee who arrives to Miami in 1980 where he works his way to the top to become a drug kingpin and later fall. Directed by Brian De Palma and screenplay by Oliver Stone, the film is a wild look into the burgeoning drug culture of the 1980s in Miami as it chronicles a man who is eager to own the world and everything else in it. Playing the role of Tony Montana is Al Pacino in one of his most defining performances of his career. Also starring Steven Bauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert Loggia, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, F. Murray Abraham, Harris Yulin, and Paul Shenar. Scarface is a fucking wild and operatic film from Brian De Palma.

The film is a rise-and-fall tale in which a Cuban exile in Tony Montana as he arrives in Miami as part of the Mariel boatlift of 1980 with some of his friends as he starts off as a small hood for the drug dealer Frank Lopez (Robert Loggia) to becoming the top drug dealer of Miami as he yearns to own the world and everything else in it. The film takes place in a period where the cocaine trade in the early 80s was starting to rise involving Latin American drug dealers as they rose to the top where Tony Montana is part of that world as he decides to go for something much bigger as he kills, schemes, and does everything to get to the top. Along the way, there’s sacrifices and such where he would have allies and later enemies that would play to his downfall as well as his growing addiction to cocaine.

Oliver Stone’s screenplay definitely takes the idea of the rise-and-fall of a drug dealer to showcase a world in which a man starts off at the bottom and work his way to the top. While his journey doesn’t make Montana a honest man, it does give him some ounce of respect in the way he does things as well as making deals and such. The people around Montana like his best friend Manny Ribera (Steven Bauer), Lopez’s mistress Elvira (Michelle Pfeiffer), and his young sister Gina (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) would all play part in Montana’s rise-and-fall as they would help in his journey but also would experience downfalls of their own. There is a complexity to Stone’s script as he explores this man’s sense of ambition where Montana is given a set of rules by Lopez of how to do things but Montana would go way overboard as it would lead to his downfall.

It’s not just the structure of Stone’s script that helps flesh out the formula of the rise-and-fall but also the dialogue which is very confrontational and very frank as it features 187 uses of the word “fuck”. It’s all very stylized as it plays to a world where it’s very seedy and unforgiving as Montana is very upfront that he’s not a nice guy and he can admit that he lies. Yet, it’s part of his flaws as he would take credit for his own rise as he would be his own undoing through a series of bad decisions, paranoia, and selfishness that would also be driven by his own escalating addiction to cocaine.

The direction of Brian de Palma is very grand and operatic as it plays to a period of decadence where people go to discos, do cocaine, have sex in bathrooms, and do all sorts of crazy shit. While de Palma does create some interesting compositions including Montana’s interrogation scene where there’s an eerie intimacy to that scene as well as a few other scenes. There’s also an element of suspense where de Palma just build things up very slowly where it will have some kind of violent conclusion. It is all part of de Palma wanting to create something that is gritty and realistic but also not be afraid to exaggerate things. Notably some very gruesome moments where Montana is forced to watch one of his friends be killed by a chainsaw.

It’s not just the film’s violence that is excessive and operatic that includes the film’s climatic showdown between Montana and a Colombian cartel. It’s also the world that de Palma sets up as he uses some very stylish crane shots and other camera tricks to play up this world of decadence. Even in a montage to establish Tony’s rise where it is quite excessive from the clothes the characters wear to the cars that they drive as well as the fact that Montana has two tigers as pets. Still, there is that sense of intrigue and danger in the third act where de Palma goes all out and more as it includes some very chilling moments where Montana is clearly hitting his bottom as well as the fate that is set for him. Overall, de Palma creates an outrageous and confrontational film about greed and ambition in the eyes of a man named Tony Montana.

Cinematographer John A. Alonzo does amazing work with the film’s colorful cinematography from the very sunny, colorful look of Miami’s exteriors and beaches to some scenes set in Los Angeles as part of South America as well as some of the dark interiors to set the chilling mood for the film. Editors Jerry Greenberg and David Ray do excellent work with the editing to create a very stylish approach to the cutting from the rhythm of the violence and some montages to some slower cuts in the film’s suspenseful moments. Production designer Ferdinando Scarfiotti, with set decorator Bruce Weintraub and art director Edward Richardson, does fantastic work with the look of the mansions the characters stay in to the Babylon club that definitely has an air of excess.

Costume designer Patricia Norris does wonderful work with the costumes from the stylish dresses the women wear to the colorful suits the guys wear to play up that decade of decadence. Sound editor Edward Beyer does superb work with the sound from the way the gunfire sounds to some of the chilling moments in the film. The film’s score by Giorgio Moroder is brilliant for its eerie, electronic-driven score filled with some ominous themes and arrangements to play up the sense of coldness in the world as well as some pieces to play up the world of decadence. The film’s soundtrack consists largely of music from pulsating synth-pop and disco from Elizabeth Daily, Paul Engemann, Beth Anderson, and Debbie Harry to a Latin-pop song from Maria Conchita Alonso.

The casting by Alixe Gordon is just phenomenal for the ensemble that was created for the film that would include a lot of memorable appearances for the actors that appeared in this film. Among these notable small roles include Pepe Serna and Angel Salazar as a couple of Tony’s friends in Angel Fernandez and Chi Chi, Mark Margolis as Sosa’s devious henchman Alberto, Geno Silva as Sosa’s assassin the Skull, Richard Belzer as a comedian at the Babylon Club, Miriam Colon as Tony’s mother who despises Tony, Michael Alldredge as Tony’s banker George Sheffield, Harris Yulin as the corrupt detective Mel Bernstein, and Paul Shenar as the Colombian drug lord Alejandro Sosa who becomes an ally of Tony’s until an assignment gone wrong leads to trouble.

F. Murray Abraham is terrific as Lopez’s henchman Omar Suarez who is wary about Montana as he is uneasy about Montana’s ambition. Robert Loggia is great as the crime boss Frank Lopez as a man who is full of wisdom as well as being a fun guy who later feels threatened by Tony’s ambition as he tries to warn him about what will happen. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio is wonderful as Tony’s sister Gina who is intrigued by the world of excess as she becomes an object of affection for Manny despite Tony’s over protectiveness towards her. Michelle Pfeiffer is amazing as Lopez’s mistress Elvira who later becomes Tony’s wife as a woman who knows a lot more than everyone else as she later succumbs to her own drug addiction. Steven Bauer is superb as Tony’s friend Manny who is a man that wants to have fun and enjoy the good life while wanting to do things to help out as he later becomes alienated by Tony’s ambition and paranoia.

Finally, there’s Al Pacino in one of his most iconic performances of his career as Tony Montana. The film has Pacino go all out and more as a man who is willing to do whatever it takes to succeed. It’s a performance that is full of swagger, bravado, humor, and extremely confrontational. Pacino not only is given some of the best one-liners of all-time but he really means it when he says those things. It’s also him just commanding the moment including the film’s final shootout with Sosa’s men as he utters out some of the best one-liners ever as it’s a role that only he can play.

Scarface is a magnificent film from Brian de Palma featuring an outstanding performance from Al Pacino. Along with a great supporting cast, a cool soundtrack, and a wild script by Oliver Stone. It’s a film that is still wild nearly 30 years since its release as it still holds up and more. Filled with lots of dead bodies, mountains of cocaine, 187 “fucks”, and lots of more crazy shit. It’s a film that is very unapologetic in being excessive and extravagant. In the end, Scarface is a triumphant achievement from Brian de Palma.

Related: Scarface (1932 film)

Brian De Palma Films: (Murder a la Mod) - (Greetings) - (The Wedding Party) - (Dionysus in ‘69) - (Hi Mom!) - (Get to Know Your Rabbit) - Sisters - Phantom of the Paradise - Obsession - Carrie - The Fury - (Home Movies) - Dressed to Kill - Blow Out - Body Double - (Wise Guys) - The Untouchables - Casualties of War - The Bonfire of the Vanities - Raising Cain - Carlito’s Way - Mission: Impossible - Snake Eyes - Mission to Mars - Femme Fatale - The Black Dahlia - (Redacted) - Passion (2012 film) - (Domino (2018 film)

© thevoid99 2013

Lost Highway

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 10/11/07 w/ Additional Edits.

Following a career backlash, the cancellation of his TV show Twin Peaks, and the barrage of bad reviews from fans and critics for its prequel film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. David Lynch went into hiding as from 1992 through 1995, he spent his days working on experimental projects and short-lived TV projects. Finally in 1996, David Lynch decided to return to the world of feature films with a dark, film noir-inspired film that would not only return him to the twisted, surrealism of his previous film work. It also marked a new transition into his film career with the 1997 film Lost Highway.

Directed by Lynch with a script he co-wrote with Wild at Heart novelist Barry Gifford, Lost Highway tells the story of a jazz musician who suspects his wife is having an affair while delving into an underworld that included voyeuristic videos and a mysterious man. After being suspected for murder, the musician suddenly turns himself into a young mechanic who falls for a gangster's mistress. Inspired by noir films of the past including Edgar G. Ulmer's 1945 cult-film Detour, Lynch enters into a mysterious world as he re-shapes the film noir genre for a new generation. Starring Bull Pullman, Patricia Arquette, Balthazar Getty, Robert Loggia, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Robert Blake, and in their final film appearances, Richard Pryor and Jack Nance. Lost Highway is a haunting, surreal, and enchanting take on film noir by David Lynch.

In his posh, Los Angeles home on the Hollywood Hills, Fred Madison (Bill Pullman) hears his doorbell ringing for intercom as he hears a man's voice saying "Dick Laurent is dead". Later that night, Fred goes out to play at a club while his wife Renee (Patricia Arquette) is at home. When he calls her after his performance, she doesn't answer as he finds her sleeping when he returned home. The next morning, Renee wakes up to find a manila envelope on her front doorsteps. She and Fred learn it's a videotape of their house being filmed. Things get stranger the next day when another videotape surface that showed the couple sleeping in their bedroom. After calling a couple of detectives named Al (John Roselius) and Ed (Louis Eppolito), things don't get better when Fred tells Renee of a nightmare he has that involved a mysterious man (Robert Blake).

Going to a party of Renee's friend Andy (Michael Massee), Fred's suspicions about Renee having extramarital affairs make him uneasy. Things get stranger when the mysterious man he saw in his dream appeared at the party. The two talk briefly as the man claimed he's at his house. Fred doesn't believe him until he called at his own house to see that the man is at his home. Spooked by what happened, he and Renee return home as he asked Renee about Andy. The night gets darker as the things Fred sees haunt him and the next morning gets even stranger. Another videotape surfaces in which he sees the same images and a new one, Fred kneeling down covered in blood as he finds Renee dead. Guilty of murder and sent to be electrocuted, Fred suddenly has awful headaches. The visions Fred sees in his head starts to unravel as a blue light starts to blink as the headaches become awfully worse.

The next day, a guard finds a different man in Fred's cell that turned out to be a 24-year old mechanic named Pete Dayton (Balthazar Getty). Immediately released back to his parents (Gary Busey and Lucy Butler), Pete has no recollections of how he got into a jail cell while he decided to rest at home. After joining a couple of his friends (Giovanni Ribisi and Scott Coffey), he also rekindles his relationship with girlfriend Sheila (Natasha Gregson Wagner). Returning to work as a mechanic for Arnie (Richard Pryor), he is also greeted with delight by a gangster named Mr. Eddy (Robert Loggia). Unbeknownst to Pete, two detectives named Hank (Carl Sundstrom) and Lou (John Solari) are watching out for him as Pete rides with Mr. Eddy, who is also known as Dick Laurent. The next day, Pete meets Mr. Eddy's mistress Alice Wakefield (Patricia Arquette) who comes to his garage the day later to seduce Pete.

The two begin an affair only to cause more trouble as Mr. Eddy suspects something. Meanwhile, his relationship with Sheila falls apart as Pete seems to have no memory of what happened the night he was sent into Fred's jail cell. After another meeting with Alice, she tells him about a guy named Andy and her first meeting with Mr. Eddy as she hopes to steal money from Andy in order to escape. The robbery was a success except that Pete starts to have increasingly bad headaches as reality and fiction begin to blur even further. Hoping to meet a man who could help them, Fred makes his return to unravel the mystery of the mysterious man as well as Laurent, Alice, and Renee.

While a lot of the imagery, style, and caricatures are definitely inspired by film noir, David Lynch and co-writer Barry Gifford chose to play with the cliches of the genre adding new twists as well. The result is a mind-bending film that still brings more questions than answers when the mystery is unraveled. Yet, this is part of what is expected from Lynch who is a storyteller that never reveals a lot of details or what the film is about. Instead, he leaves it up to the viewer to make their own guess or interpretation about what the film is about. If one was to make an idea of what it's about, it's about a man trying to figure out about his wife's affairs, her murder, and then turns into a young mechanic who falls for a doppleganger as he delves into a world of pornography, crime, and voyeurism.

The stylized dialogue is very true to the tradition of noir while remaining modern that includes information that relates to the film plot. Both Renee and Alice have similar dialogue in their meeting that relates to Andy that eventually, revealed a darker story. The characters of Pete and Fred are similar though it's Pete that has to deal with the fact that he might be a different person. Fred has a more interesting development where he starts off as a paranoid, suspicious man until he returns late in the film as he becomes a darker character. Then there's the mysterious man. Who he is? His name is never revealed and his motives aren't clear either. Yet, he's there but is he real? All of this is part of Lynch's approach to surrealism.

The direction of Lynch is definitely top notch as he aims for a more intimate look that is reminiscent of film noir. Yet, he also goes for that Lynchian style of strange characters, symbolic images, and dreamy compositions. The film's low-key look works to convey the suspense as well as the paranoia inside Fred's head. The look of the film also has that sense of being from the perspective of Fred Madison and Pete Dayton. They're both having very surreal images where the look of the film almost has a horror-like feel while the use of a video camera also creates a sense of horror in conveying that dark feel of voyeurism. While audiences might feel confused by its complex plot and Lynch's eerie direction, even in the end, the film still proves that Lynch still has some tricks up his sleeve.

Cinematographer Peter Deming brings a wonderfully stylish look to the film that is very intimate with a grainy-like look to add the film-noir look. The use of colored lights also adds to the film's mood to show where the characters are while some wonderful, dreamy images are made to convey the style of Lynch. Lynch's then-partner and editor Mary Sweeney adds style that emphasize the film's unique tone and duality theme as if the film is told in an almost, non-linear style. Production designer/costume designer Patricia Norris and set decorator Leslie Morales help create the film's dark look with posh-like designs on some of the film's mansion scenes to the motel that is pure noir with its intimate look. Norris' work on the costumes also have film noir with the evening dresses that Renee wears to the old-school 40s clothing that Alice wears while the men wear a range of suits to street clothing.

Sound editor Frank Gaeta along with Lynch on sound design create an array of sounds to add a horror-like tone to the film where it brings suspense that also includes ominous sound overtones courtesy of Nine Inch Nails' leader Trent Reznor and Coil's Peter Christopherson. The film's soundtrack includes music from Lynch's longtime collaborator Angelo Badalamenti brings a diverse film score that includes dark, ominous classical cuts with the Prague Philharmonic that is in the noir style. Other tracks by Badalamenti range from ambient-like electronic music to a wide array of jazz from freestyle to sultry with contributions from David Lynch. Another composer added to the mix is Barry Adamson, formerly of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, who brings some wonderful theme music to the character of Mr. Eddy along with mixes of jazz and electronic music.

The rest of the soundtrack is helmed and supervised by NIN leader Trent Reznor. Along with his own sound work and an industrial score piece, he also contributes the hit song The Perfect Drug while former protegee` Marilyn Manson brings in a couple of cuts. The film open and closes with two variations of I'm Deranged by David Bowie from his 1995 album Outside while Bowie's art-rock cohort Lou Reed brings a cover of This Magic Moment. The Smashing Pumpkins brings an eerie electronic track called Eye while the German industrial band Rammstein brings in a couple of rocking tracks. Adding to the film's dark, dreamy soundtrack though not on the actual soundtrack album is a cover of Tim Buckley's Song To The Siren by the 4AD label outfit This Mortal Coil as it's sung hauntingly and beautifully by Elisabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins accompanied by its guitarist Robin Guthrie. Overall, the film's soundtrack is a real highlight of the film.

The casting is wonderfully assembled with cameos and appearances from Henry Rollins as a prison guard, Marilyn Manson and then-Manson bassist Jeordie White as porn stars, Lisa Boyle as a porn star, Giovanni Ribisi and Lynch regular Scott Coffey as Pete's buddies, and in his final film role just before his death in December of 1996 is Lynch regular Jack Nance as crazed-eye mechanic named Phil. Richard Pryor, in his final film appearance before his death in 2005, is excellent as head mechanic Arnie, where despite his illness from Parkinson's disease, Pryor lights up any scene he's in. Lucy Butler and Gary Busey make great appearances as Pete Dayton's parents with Busey showing restraint and care as a father who is haunted by the moment his son had disappeared. John Roselius, Louis Eppolito, Carl Sundstrom, and John Solari are great as the detectives who investigate the different crimes while Sundstrom and Solari get to have hilarious one-liners.

Michael Massee is excellent as the sleazy Andy, a guy who seems to love a lot of porn and women while not have a clue to the associates of Mr. Eddy. Natasha Gregson Wagner is good as Pete's girlfriend Sheila, a girl who noticed that he's changed since his disappearance while trying to keep him grounded. In what is possibly his last film role before his notorious murder trial a few years ago, Robert Blake gives a chilling performance as the Mysterious Man who is a troubling voyeur that always carry a video camera or a telephone. Blake, wearing lipstick and no eyebrows with a painted white face, is a very scary man in this film and his presence remains haunting. Robert Loggia is in great form as a gangster who has a lot of charm and wit despite his dangerous persona. Loggia has a great scene that involves a tailgate driver who did something stupid that proves that tailgating is bad.

Balthazar Getty is in solid form as Pete Dayton, a confused, troubled young mechanic who is unaware of what has happened to him. Getty's performance serves as a wonderful plot device in relation to the theme of duality. Getty has to be this young man who is torn between two different women while trying to figure out is he really himself or is he possessed all of a sudden as Getty does some fantastic work. Bill Pullman is also in amazing form as Fred Madison, a man whose suspicions lead him to a possible murder and then returning to discovery about his wife. Pullman's performance is also strangely subtle as he doesn't do anything very dramatic but rather observe what's going on around him. It's definitely one of his more underrated performances, aside from Spaceballs.

The film's best performance truly goes to Patricia Arquette in her double-duty role in playing both Renee and Alice. In the role of Renee, Arquette dons a brunette hair style that is reminiscent of noir-style female characters while being very secretive and worrisome as that character is revealed whether she's having an affair. Then as Alice, Arquette shows more of her sex appeal in this femme fatale role as she is a bit more humorous, charismatic, and engaging. Arquette has that dream-like quality that makes her perfect for both roles as this reveals to be one of her more overlooked performances in her diverse career in working with the likes of Quentin Tarantino, Richard Linklater, and Martin Scorsese.

While it's not a perfect film, especially for general audiences, Lost Highway is still an amazing, complex, provocative noir film from David Lynch and company. Fans of Lynch will no doubt enjoy the film's layered story as well as surrealistic directing style. Those new to the director will enjoy the images and style that Lynch has taken into a genre. With a great cast and an amazing film soundtrack (that is unfortunately out of print), it's a film that will test the mind as well as expectations for the genre. For a film that takes an old genre with unique twists and turns, Lost Highway is the film to go see and who better from the always provocative David Lynch.

David Lynch Films: Eraserhead - The Elephant Man - Dune - Blue Velvet - Wild at Heart - Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me - The Straight Story - Mulholland Dr. - INLAND EMPIRE

The Short Films of David Lynch Pt. 1 - The Short Films of David Lynch Pt. 2 - The Music Videos of David Lynch

The Auteurs #50: David Lynch: Pt. 1 - Pt. 2 - Pt. 3 - Pt. 4

Related: Lost Highway OST

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