SPOILER WARNING: This review reveals many of the major plot points of the "Twin Peaks" television series, including the identity of Laura Palmer's killer and the ending of the cliffhanger finale.
Film review by Kevin Patterson
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me * * * * R, 1992 Written by David Lynch and Robert Engels. Directed by David Lynch. Starring Sheryl Lee, Ray Wise, Kyle MacLachlan, Chris Isaak.
Shortly after the cancellation of the "Twin Peaks" televison series, co-creator David Lynch announced that he was not ready to leave the story behind and would make a "Peaks" feature film. Fans were understandably excited and hoped for a resolution to the show's frustrating cliffhanger ending, in which FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) was trapped inside an alternate reality while an evil doppelganger took his place. Then Lynch decided instead to do a prequel, exploring the events leading to the murder of Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) rather than following up on the series. Many "Peaks Freaks" were disappointed, and some continue to insist to this day that the film was an artistic flop.
In fact, however, there is a lot to admire in "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me." The opening half-hour, in which FBI agents Chester Desmond (Chris Isaak) and Sam Stanley (Kiefer Sutherland) investigate a related murder, features much of the goofy humor that made the series so much fun as they encounter, among others, a hostile macho sheriff ("Cable bends steel!" proclaims a local headline), a drunken trailer park manager who laments that their investigation "just means more shit I gotta do now," and a grumpy waitress ("Do you wanna hear about our specials? . . . We don't have any!"). As the story moves to the town of Twin Peaks and the final days of Laura Palmer's life, agents of the supernatural realm known as the Black Lodge appear, and Lynch treats us to several excellent sequences inside the mysterious "Red Room."
Many of these elements undoubtedly would seem confusing to someone who did not watch the series. But there is also a powerfully tragic story to be told here, that of Laura Palmer's descent into a personal hell of drugs and promiscuity as she is terrorized by the Black Lodge forces, culminating in her recognition of her demon-possessed father (Ray Wise) as the source of her sexual abuse and emotional despair. Lynch and co-writer Robert Engels turn the fact that everyone seeing this movie knew that it would end with Laura's murder to their advantage; we honestly want to see Laura somehow escape her horrible fate but know that she will not. Sheryl Lee gives an engaging and believable performance as Laura Palmer, creating a character that still deserves our sympathy despite the fact that a fair amount of her pain is self-inflicted.
The performances of Lee and Wise as well as Lynch's talent for emotional intensity and for astonishing visuals serve to capture vividly the horror of her situation and ultimately to produce some very moving moments. Most of these are soaked in melancholy, but without giving the details away, let me just say that this film does not end immediately after Laura's death and that the ending is about as uplifting (and yet un-sappy) an ending as you can have in a movie in which the main character is murdered. "Fire Walk With Me" is the rare film that incorporates supernatural elements yet still deals with real emotions and creates three-dimensional characters that can be taken seriously.
If one accepts "Fire Walk With Me" for what it is - a riveting. character-driven drama with hints of supenatural mystery - it is ultimately very rewarding. Many, including myself, might have preferred an extended "Twin Peaks" episode and a clarification of the TV series's plot threads, but David Lynch's responsibility as a filmmaker should not be primarily to satisfy fan expectations but simply to make a competent and powerful film. By that standard, "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me" is an outstanding success.
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