When college student Jeffrey Beaumont's father is hospitalised he returns home to what at first appears to be the Perfect American Town... he soon discovers that it is anything but. On a piece of wasteland he finds a severed human ear which he takes to Detective John Williams, a friend of his fathers. Williams' daughter Sandy approaches Jeffrey and tells him she overheard her father talking about a possible connection to singer Dorothy Vallens; Jeffrey decides to investigate. This leads to him getting caught in a very dangerous place with some incredibly disturbing characters; most notably Frank Booth.
This is very much a David Lynch film; the situation has a not-quite-real feel without being quite as weird as 'Twin Peaks'... it is far more disturbing though. Kyle MacLachlan is impressive as the ordinary Jeffrey caught in an extraordinary situation but it is Dennis Hopper who steals every scene he is in as the Frank... one of cinema's more disturbing creations. The way the story unfolds creates a real sense of danger and its ending is far from clear till almost the end. The rest of the cast are solid; most notably Isabella Rossellini as femme fatale Dorothy and Laura Dern as the innocent Sandy. Due to the disturbing nature of many scenes, which include sexual violence, this certainly won't be for everybody but if you like disturbing neo-noir then this is definitely a must see.
This is very much a David Lynch film; the situation has a not-quite-real feel without being quite as weird as 'Twin Peaks'... it is far more disturbing though. Kyle MacLachlan is impressive as the ordinary Jeffrey caught in an extraordinary situation but it is Dennis Hopper who steals every scene he is in as the Frank... one of cinema's more disturbing creations. The way the story unfolds creates a real sense of danger and its ending is far from clear till almost the end. The rest of the cast are solid; most notably Isabella Rossellini as femme fatale Dorothy and Laura Dern as the innocent Sandy. Due to the disturbing nature of many scenes, which include sexual violence, this certainly won't be for everybody but if you like disturbing neo-noir then this is definitely a must see.