Lost Highway

R

Released Feb 21, 1997

2 hr. 15 min.

Mystery & Thriller

List

68%

57 Reviews

Tomatometer

87%

50,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

From this inventory of imagery, Lynch fashions two separate but intersecting stories, one about a jazz musician (Bill Pullman), tortured by the notion that his wife is having an affair, who suddenly finds himself accused of her murder. The other is a young mechanic (Balthazar Getty) drawn into a web of deceit by a temptress who is cheating on her gangster boyfriend. These two tales are linked by the fact that the women in both are played by the same actress (Patricia Arquette).

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Critics Consensus

Marking a further escalation in David Lynch's surrealist style, Lost Highway is a foreboding mystery that arguably leads to a dead end, although it is signposted throughout with some of the director's most haunting images yet.

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T

What makes this film so memorable and special are the unique plot elements, set to powerful visuals / soundtrack with an excellent cast. David Lynch's films offer a welcome alternative to the same old same old contemporary three act films of which there are way too many. Lost Highway is his most "Lynchian"nightmare, with its signature menace and mystery.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/03/24

Full Review

David W

Essentially two movies in one, the stories are connected in a mysterious fashion. Despite the mysterious plot, Lost Highway is an enjoyable film with two stories that are easy to follow. I would watch this again, if for no other reason to further discern its meaning.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/24/24

Full Review

Gustino A

Felt like a dream the whole time, amazing.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/08/24

Full Review

Luis M. D

At first sight this surreal movie makes no sense at all and clearly calls for an interpretation. I want to offer two interpretations, hoping to turn it into a coherent crime story. Against many film critics that claimed this movie is superficial or just an empty exercise in style, I think it is possible to find substance in it. But before I go on I must warn of SPOILERS. It's impossible to explain this messy plot without including some spoilers. So you're warned not to read on if you haven't seen the movie yet. This comment will assume that you have already seen the movie. So there is go. Interpretation 1. A young auto mechanic called Pete meets Alice, the beautiful mistress of Mr. Eddy, a powerful gangster. Suddenly they fall in love with each other. So they concoct a plot to cheat Mr. Eddy and run away, changing their names and occupations. Then they think they are safe. But Mr. Eddy is hunting them down and finally finds them. He kills Alice (now called Renée) arranging the evidence to implicate Pete (now called Fred). When Fred realizes what has happened, he goes to confront Mr. Eddy, killing him. "Dick Laurent is dead." But he is spotted by the police, chased and finally captured. He's tried, convicted and sentenced to death for murdering his wife (and perhaps for killing Mr. Eddy). In the end nobody wins. Interpretation 2. A young auto mechanic called Pete meets Alice, the beautiful mistress of Mr. Eddy, a powerful gangster. Suddenly they fall in love with each other. So they concoct a plot to cheat Mr. Eddy and run away, changing their names and occupations. Later on, at the insistence of Alice (now called Renée) Pete (now called Fred) goes out and kills Mr. Eddy. "Dick Laurent is dead." He does so preemptively for they can't be safe until Mr. Eddy is dead. But Mr. Eddy has survived. He hunts them down and finally finds them. He exacts his final revenge by killing Renée and framing Fred as the culprit. Fred is tried, convicted and sentenced to death. In the end Mr. Eddy wins. This movie is actually very complex. Each interpretation has its pros and cons. There may be other interpretations, even better than these ones. But that's what makes this movie great. It will always be open to reinterpretations. That's why it deserves a four full stars as a minimum.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/07/23

Full Review

Pathetic b

It is a horror movie. And, to me, the best real horror movie that america ever made. Above and beyond even a lot of the japanese masterpieces. And a lot better than 'Jacobs Ladder' because, like all true works of art, it NEVER, NEVER tries to point or force you into ANY kind of moral pre-chewed observation or direction. You get there all on your own. Or you never do. Because it is art. If you "hate" it, have no doubt and fight it all you will, you are a not very intelligent or you know exactly what this man is going through. Either way, please stay away.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/27/24

Full Review

Elvis D

David Lynch se las ha ingeniado para crear la que es probablemente la película más confusa de su filmografía y que deja varias interpretaciones abiertas, así como también una sensación de no saber si amar u odiar esta película. Lost Highway es una película que en términos de producción y montaje está bien construida como cualquier película común, pero su guion es bastante críptico, haciendo que la experiencia genere sensaciones de inverosimilitud y confusión. Lo que la película hace es no contar la trama en un orden directo, lo que hace es fragmentar todo en un rompecabezas que mezcla los recuerdos de Fred con sus fantasías. Lo que al principio parece ser un thriller simple e intrigante sobre crímenes, después se torna en una historia diferente hecho a base de la mente de Fred, creando una realidad alterna y un recuerdo deformado hasta que a lo largo de la película es derrumbado por los recuerdos sobre las cosas que le ocurrieron a Fred en el mundo real. Los eventos reales están en completo desorden y al estar mezclados con la imaginación de Fred, la película llega a ser confusa y difícil de procesar. Como no es una película de fantasía, no es fácil identificar que gran parte de lo que se está viendo es producto de la imaginación de Fred. Por lo tanto, la película se enfoca en una realidad deformada por la mente de alguien que está tratando de pretender que la vida que tuvo, las cosas que le pasaron y las acciones que cometió jamás ocurrieron, pero sus recuerdos de la realidad acaban filtrándose. Lo fascinante es que la película es un claro reflejo sobre la acción de tratar de escapar de la realidad y construir una propia, aunque la cruda realidad siempre acaba filtrándose. Por la forma ilógica y surrealista del guion, esta película no está lejos de otros proyectos surrealistas como Un Chien Andalou, L'Age D'Or, Pink Floyd The Wall, Tideland o Sucker Punch donde la delgada línea entre lo que es real y lo que no se rompe presentando una realidad construida y alterada desde la perspectiva del protagonista. Lost Highway es una rara experiencia cinematografía que no es apta para cualquiera y puede ser interpretada de distintas maneras. Así como da lugar a distintas interpretaciones según cada individuo, también queda bajo el criterio de cada quien si esta película es una obra maestra del surrealismo o solo otra fumada descabellada de David Lynch. Mi calificación final para esta película es un 7/10.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/01/23

Full Review

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David Lynch

Director

Bill Pullman

Fred Madison

Patricia Arquette

Renee Madison

Balthazar Getty

Pete Dayton

Robert Blake

Mystery Man

Natasha Gregson Wagner

Sheila

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Richard Brody

New Yorker

Lynch brings the movie’s febrile and violent artifice to life in visual compositions of a poised, painterly authority and interrupts them with quick bursts of hallucinatory frenzy.

Jul 5, 2022

Full Review

Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: B-

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

Jeremiah Kipp

Slant Magazine

It's pensive male anxiety, and for some cultural reason it's easier for audiences to accept female hysteria than the insecurities of men.

Rated: 3.5/4

Apr 1, 2008

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

It’s a metaphysical mystery that defies literal explanation yet has a weird and haunting emotional and thematic logic to it, like a dream or a nightmare.

May 6, 2023

Full Review

Brian Susbielles

InSession Film

Lynch, always in style, pushes the boundaries of what is unexpected and what really is down the road. Patricia Arquette, Robert Blake, and Balthazar Getty also star in this postmodern noir.

Feb 14, 2023

Full Review

Sean Burns

WBUR’s Arts & Culture

Peels away the pulp trappings and runs almost entirely on film noir’s foundational fears.

Nov 5, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

From this inventory of imagery, Lynch fashions two separate but intersecting stories, one about a jazz musician (Bill Pullman), tortured by the notion that his wife is having an affair, who suddenly finds himself accused of her murder. The other is a young mechanic (Balthazar Getty) drawn into a web of deceit by a temptress who is cheating on her gangster boyfriend. These two tales are linked by the fact that the women in both are played by the same actress (Patricia Arquette).

Director: David Lynch
Screenwriter: David Lynch, Barry Gifford
Distributor: October Films
Production Co: October Films, Lost Highway Productions, Asymmetrical Productions
Rating: R (Strong Language|Sexual Content|Violence)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 21, 1997, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 13, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $18.0K
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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