Wild At Heart

“Virtuoso filmmaker David Lynch (Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet) brings his singular vision to the screen once more with Wild At Heart, an incendiary tale of love, violence and snakeskin jackets.

Adapted from the novel by Barry Gifford, Wild At Heart stars Nicolas Cage (Leaving Las Vegas, Adaptation) and Laura Dern (Inland Empire, Jurassic Park) as Sailor and Lula, a pair of young lovers on the run from Lula’s mother Marietta (Dern’s real-life mother Diane Ladd, in an Academy Award®-nominated role). Sailor and Lula’s journey takes them into the dark heart of America, where dangers and temptations lurk … and where only their love can truly protect them. But even their all-consuming passion may not withstand the sinister presence of Bobby Peru (Willem Dafoe in an unforgettable performance).”

Star-crossed lovers Sailor and Luna take a wild ride across the country when Sailor is released from prison after he’s charged with manslaughter. Luna’s mother hires a family friend to track them down after they have taken off across the country on a road trip, as she dislikes Sailor and the terrible influence he has over her daughter. Thinking that tracking them down may not be enough, her mother then hires a hit man that vows to track them down and take care of the problem.

As Sailor and Luna make their way across the United States, they encounter all sorts of situations that usually end up with the two passionately intertwined. This ultimately brings them to the town of Big Tuna, where they fall prey to local criminal Bobby Peru. Facing danger at every turn, the two seem to self-destruct as their passion burns quick and bright like the numerous and blatant images of matches being struck, but are quickly extinguished.

David Lynch is one of those directors you either love or hate. As much as I try to appreciate his work, I’m with Roger Ebert when he says that something inside him resists his films. Not having seen Wild At Heart before, I had an idea what I was getting into, especially given it’s a David Lynch film starring Nicolas Cage, but what I didn’t expect was how hard the film would be to get through. Not because of the violence, which is definitely brutal and over-the-top for no reason, but because the lack of clear narrative throughout the film. We hover back and forth between Sailor and Luna’s story and her mother’s, with the latter absolutely killing what little pacing there is unsuccessfully attempting to hint at a connection between her and some kind of criminal organization.

The film also utilizes imagery from The Wizard of Oz, which I find serves no real purpose for the plot. Sure, the images of Luna’s mother as the Wicked Witch seems about right, but thematically the two movies have absolutely nothing in common, and comparing their journey to that of Dorothy’s in Oz is outright ludicrous. As much as the themes of the film don’t seem to be prevalent in many of the scenes of the film, the final act does manage to present some meaning that I did appreciate.

Although I didn’t quite enjoy the film as I had hoped, there are fans of the film who dig Lynch’s ‘out there’ style and can find the meaning in the seemingly meaningless. Wild At Heart deserves to be seen to form your own opinion of, and with Nicolas Cage right at home in this crazy story, that alone is worth taking a look at.

Video

Wild At Heart is presented in 1080p High Definition Widescreen 2.35:1. The transfer looks pretty good; the film does have some excessive grain in some scenes which creates a degree of softness in many of the scenes as well. Unfortunately there is no new transfer for this release; however, overall color balance does look good in the lighter scenes. There is the occasional blemish noted in the source print, but nothing too noticeable.

Audio

The audio is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. The track sounds good overall. It’s mostly dialogue, with the occasional booming of the soundtrack. Although levels seem to be a bit off when it comes to the audio in the dialogue vs. the soundtrack, I actually enjoyed that part. The soundtrack and main theme really ramps up at times and acts as a character in itself; violent and sudden, just like some of the situations the two come across.

Special Features

Only one new feature on this disc. It’s worth noting as well that the release for this set has been pushed back due to an error in production. Although it hasn’t been disclosed what the error is, many believe it’s the absence of music in the menu selection on the main screen. Those that have pre-ordered the disc may have had it shipped to them already, but the new release date is scheduled for 8/21/18. No word yet on a replacement disc program for those already in possession of their copy.

• NEW Interview With Novelist Barry Gifford
• Extended And Deleted Scenes (76 Minutes)
• Love, Death, Elvis And Oz: The Making Of Wild At Heart
• Dell’s Lunch Counter: Extended Interviews
• Specific Spontaneity: Focus On David Lynch
• Lynch On The DVD Process
• Original 1990 Making Of EPK
• Original Theatrical Trailer
• TV Spots
• Image Gallery

Wild At Heart is definitely a different film, worthy of taking a look at to form your own opinion. Although it seems to be a love it or hate it film, there are aspects that I find that could mean more to different people, and even come to appreciate in time with multiple viewings. David Lynch is by far one of the most prolific and strange filmmakers there is, and this addition to the Shout Select series proves that Shout isn’t playing it safe with their selections. I may have not found it to be an entertaining ride, but it was definitely a crazy and memorable ride.