“this whole world's wild at heart and weird on top.”

at the level in which Lynch normally operates, Wild At Heart almost feels like a slump in his filmography - especially knowing Blue Velvet was too an interpretation of The Wizard of Oz. throughout David Lynch’s films he’s always been able to provide almost equally weighted narratives or power between both main and side characters - yet a lot of the side conquests beside Lula and Sailor feel so empty. even with Defoe’s performance being vile and disturbing - just most of what’s not going on between the main cast doesn’t really do it for me. same with the Wizard Of Oz allegories throughout, being that they don’t feel to weave the story or relate to what’s going on in the ways you can compare the general loss of innocence and stepping outside your front door unexpectedly experiencing another life the way Jeffrey does. Nicholas Cage and Laura Dern respectively provide energetic and chaotic energy both separate and together giving this film a lot of fun, and even for not being that solid for a David Lynch movie - it’s still pretty good overall. I’d almost recommend someone looking to get into his work this first to see his growth and reach versus seeing this at the tail end wishing for more.