A college student stumbles into a bizarre scenario involving a distraught nightclub singer and a psychotic criminal who's kidnapped her child.
CRIME/DRAMA
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Blue Velvet (1986)Written and Directed by David Lynch
Starring Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Dennis Hopper, Laura Dern, George Dickerson, Dean Stockwell, Hope Lange Oscar Nominations - Best Director |
Blue Velvet was one of the strangest films I've seen in a long time. It was my introduction to the work of David Lynch, who I now believe has an all-too vivid imagination. While it sports a solid cast, its story is way too weird for the casual moviegoer. But for people who enjoy bizarre and outlandish tales of nightmares in suburbia, I guess this is your cup of tea.
Kyle MacLachlan may not be the most charismatic leading man, but he does the job. He acts as a sort of clueless protagonist, delivering his confusion to the audience as he tries to piece together just what the hell is going on (kinda like Chinatown). Along the way, he meets Dorothy Vallens, played eccentrically by Isabella Rossellini. She's the femme fatale, so to speak. The damaged woman with the most to lose. Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure Blue Velvet fits the profile of a neo-noir film, but more on that later. What makes this film entertaining is Dennis Hopper's unbelievable performance as psychotic gangster Frank Booth. Hopper steals the movie as this nitrous-sucking psychopath and every scene with him is tense as hell and impossible not to watch. I'm glad this film wasn't nearly as disturbing as I'd been led to believe. It was weird, no question, but disturbing it was not. Blue Velvet is an oddball with a coherent plot made for fans of David Lynch, but not really anybody else. Still, it's a great lesson in leaving things to the police and not stalking crazy people. We can all take something away from that. |