Stars: Sheryl Lee, Moira Kelly, Harry Dean Stanton, David Bowie, Ray Wise, Chris Isaak, Jurgen Prochnow, Julee Cruise

Director: David Lynch

Summary: Director David Lynch returns to the Pacific Northwest territory that helped to change the face of television in 1990, making him a household name all across America. A predecessor to that series, FIRE WALK WITH ME recounts the final week in the life of Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee), a sparkling teenager who finds herself caught up in a seedy underworld and is eventually murdered. As Laura abuses cocaine and performs sexual favors for a series of shady characters, she also must balance her day-to-day affairs, which include a best friend, Donna (Moira Kelly), an ex-boyfriend, James (James Marshall), and her parents, Leland (Ray Wise) and Sarah (Grace Zabriskie). Screenwriters Lynch and Robert Engels raise more questions than they answer, keeping the film's mystery ambiguous even by the film's conclusion. While this will most certainly appeal to die-hard fans of the series, it isn't necessary for the viewer to have any prior knowledge of the characters in order to follow the story line, for Lynch's unique vision is enough to keep audiences engaged even when they aren't able to put the pieces together. Haunting, humorous, and strange, FIRE WALK WITH ME is another work of artistry from the mind of David Lynch.

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Fire Walk With Me is a rare spin-off that refuses to repeat what worked on TV. Despite mannerisms and "draggy" spots, Twin Peaks emerged as one of the wonders of American TV: scary and funny, erotic and serious, offensive and freakish. It meandered in an always interesting but sometimes frustrating way through two seasons, then signed off with a cliff-hanger upon cancellation. When Lynch announced he would continue the saga with a theatrical movie, fans assumed he would: (a) pull out the stops to show what evils really lurked behind the pretty façade of that small town, and (b) wrap up a storyline which tailed off with Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) possessed by the evil spirit "Bob". As it happens, Lynch delivered on (a) but refrained from fulfilling clause (b), opting to do a prequel--adapted in part from The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer, a tie-in novel by Jennifer (Boxing Helena) Lynch--which sets up the series by following the last week in the life of the "prom queen from Hell".

Fire Walk With Me assumes you will be familiar with the series (some bits are incomprehensible unless you paid attention while other bits are just incomprehensible), making it most accessible to Twin Peaks initiates though sometimes deliberately offensive to them. It then omits several of the show's stars (Michael Ontkean, Richard Beymer, Joan Chen, Sherilyn Fenn) and a great many of the "lovable" aspects (wry jokes, damn fine coffee), relegating MacLachlan to a walk-on since the story happens before Cooper was assigned to Twin Peaks. Some instances of joyless sex and violence exceed anything Lynch could do on television, but for the most part he creates an atmosphere of dread through edgy performances, unsettling lighting and sound effects and sheer grimness. Without the catchphrases and the quirky charm, the film never feels cuddly in the way the TV show did, but it is one of Lynch's finest works and, though deeply uncomfortable, a TV spin-off which ranks with the best in both media.

On the DVD: The DVD is Region 0 with a widescreen print, augmented for 16x9 televisions. It holds a better-looking transfer than previous video or laserdisc releases and offers an eerie red room/blue rose menu. However the disc offers absolutely no notes, trailers, crib sheets, bios, or other extra features. --Kim Newman

Aspect Ratio:	16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Year:	1992
Release Date:	September 17, 2001
Runtime:	129 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	2 N D V D 3023
Keywords:	With, Fire, General, Wide, Screen, Walk, Twin, Peaks, Me, Drama
Genre:	Drama