Debapriyo Sarkar

Blue Velvet is a very underated film from visionary director David Lynch. It is a crime noir like film set in an unknown time period. The film boast's a terrific cast that includes: Dennis Hopper (Easy RIder), Kyle MacLachlan (DUNE), Isabella Rossellini (Death Becomes Her), Laura Dern (Fire Walk with ME), and even a young Brad Dourif (Child's Play). When it comes to the performance's, everyone does a an excellent job with the material but the standout is definately Dennis Hopper. Hopper plays the films antagonist, a foul-mouthed, sexual sadist named Frank Booth. Hopper chews through evey scene he is present in like gum. Hes loud and brash and very over-the-top but it all ends up working in the films favor. Along with the steller acting we have an absolutley beatiful and haunting score by composer Angelo Badalamenti. It's sweeping in scope for a crime film and hauntingly subtle. The direction by Lynch is also steller, he had just came of making his epic feature adaptation of DUNE, wich at the time was a disaster at the box-office and chewed up by the critics but now has a major cult following. Lynch returned to a small scope and small town setting for a more subtle crime-noir film and suceeded in spades. Blue Velvet may very well be Lynch's best film in this reviewers opinon but that's only valid to said reviewer. I absolutley love this highly underrated masterpeice of crime and the macabre. I definately reccomend Blue Velvet to fans of crime films and of lynch's later hit Twin Peaks.