The forces of good and evil that Lynch had limited to a small town four years earlier with Blue Velvet are blown out into the larger expanse of the American road. That uneasiness is the lifeblood of Wild at Heart, which sets a love of the purest and most passionate kind against a sun-scorched landscape of ceaseless hostility. The appeal of road movies is that they allow for a certain amount of narrative spontaneity, with every exit teasing the possibility of a new and unexpected subplot. The sequence is Wild at Heart in microcosm, with the AM stations representing treacherous pitstops on the lost highways between a deep south correctional facility and sunny California, where Sailor and Lula hope to carve out some place for themselves. Romance pokes through the violence and discord like a bloom through cracks in the pavement. And then suddenly, the adrenalized thump of Powermad’s Slaughterhouse fades out and the lush strings of Richard Strauss overwhelm the soundtrack. As the two thrash along in the embankment – Sailor, with his karate-kick dancing style, seems like a terror in nightclubs – Lynch’s camera cranes upwards to a magic-hour sunset across the field. “Sailor Ripley, you get me some music on that radio this instant!” she screams, and he obliges, scanning past more talk-radio mayhem before landing, improbably, on a track by the Minneapolis speed metal band Powermad. For the rest of us, it's simply an enjoyable piece of film-making.Lula pulls the car over in disgust. This is an amusing film, one that would make a good introduction to Lynch for those unfamiliar. Wild at Heart feels a little long and drags in a few places toward the end, but this barely hinders the film in its entirety. The acting is excellent and the characters are strangely likable. Unlike most Lynch films, it is very linear and straight forward. It is full of energy and snappy dialogue. Wild at Heart is a fun adventure to hitch a ride on. Despite that, this movie is never boring and fairly unpredictable. There are a few moments when the style gets repetitive and the characters do something worthy of much eye-rolling. The best example of this is the presence of a rich, older crime boss with a penchant for having young preferably naked young girls surrounding him at all times he's present. The film is chocked full of amusing moments and over the top clichés. Although it deals with such serious subjects as murder, incest, and general family dysfunction, Wild at Heart is anything but serious. Supporting performances by Willem Defoe, Harry Dean Stanton, and Diane Ladd also provide liveliness that enhances the film. It's effective here, though, and she embodies sweet yet trashy Lula wonderfully. I'd never understood the reason for her popularity in sexy roles. Nicolas Cage was great in his pre-action-hero movies. Nicolas Cage is in his prime here and the role is, somewhat, reminiscent of the "repeat offender" he played in Raising Arizona. Arguably the best thing about Wild at Heart is its great cast. The two lovebirds head to California and encounter all sorts of crazy situations along the way. However, her mother's desperation leads her to contact a hit-man she is in knows and the young couple is forced to run away. Being young and in love, the girl rebels. Lula is more than willing to pick up the relationship, but if her mother has anything to do with it, she won't have a chance. When he gets out, he is desperate to get Lula (Laura Dern), the girl he loves, back again. A young couple is separated when the guy, an Elvis fanatic named Sailor (Nicolas Cage), goes to prison for manslaughter after defending himself against a man who threatened him. Fast paced, mostly ridiculous, and pretty unrealistic, Wild at Heart is far from perfect, but a very fun film to watch. Wild at Heart revolved around a young couple, played to perfection by Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern. That being said, it still remains very far from mainstream. Wild at Heart is probably the most conventional David Lynch film I've seen.
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