[su_dropcap style=”simple” size=”5″]P[/su_dropcap]rofessional saxophone player Fred Madison (Bill Pullman) and his wife Renee (Patricia Arquette) are living in Los Angeles. Fred believes Renee is having an affair, but he can’t prove it. He has also been having nightmares, which may or may not be caused by the stress of his marriage. Tensions rise when someone leaves a brown envelope on their doorstep. Inside is a VHS tape containing footage of inside their house and Fred and Renee. More tapes arrive, with footage of their house.

Concerned, the couple contact the police. Unable to find the culprit, Fred and Renee move on with their lives. At a swanky party, Fred meets a mysterious man (Robert Blake) who claims they have met before at his house. Unsure what to think of this mystery man and his bizarre claim, Fred walks away. Soon after, Renee is murdered, and Fred finds himself in prison and sentenced to death.

While on death row, Fred becomes seriously ill and transforms into an entirely different man. Pete Dayton (Balthazar Getty). Unable to make sense of the events, prison authorities release Pete and send him home. The police begin monitoring him and his family. Pete quickly gets his job back, fixing cars at a rundown garage. He soon falls for Alice Wakefield, the gorgeous girlfriend of a local gangster (Robert Loggia). Alice (also played by Patricia Arquette) is a dead ringer for Renee.

A noir mindbender that only David Lynch could create, Highway doesn’t follow a traditional narrative. Less concerned about telling a complete story and creating a series of moods, the shadow drenched visuals. the twisting of plot elements makes for an effective noir with horror undertones. As Lynch fans likely expect, there’s plenty of sex and angry music from the likes of Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails among others, used to further establish the mood.

Presented in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio, sharpness is somewhat inconsistent, likely due to intentional stylistic choices. However, there is good delineation throughout, despite the image never looking particularly accurate. A nice layer of grain creates a filmic experience and no print flaws are in evidence. Blacks are inky and deep. Overall, the image looks a bit dull but again, this is likely due to Lynch’s unique stylistic choices. Colors accentuate the reds and ambers. HDR gives whites and contrast to boast notable range. Given David Lynch’s unique style, Criterion continues to deliver excellent transfers of his work.

Lost Highway boasts two audio tracks: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English LPCM 2.0. I used the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. To me, it sounded excellent. Effects are appropriate, never masking the dialogue. The soundscape is fully engaged throughout. Some may believe the overall sound is a bit dull, but I think the lower tones add to the creepy feel of the film. The score and industrial rock tracks are effectively mixed. Dialogue is clean and clear throughout.

English SDH subtitles are available.

There are no special features on the 4K disc but are available on the included Blu-ray disc:

  • Pretty as a Picture: The Art of David Lynch (HD, 80:39) Produced in 1997, it includes lots of behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with Lynch, Patricia Arquette, Robert Blake, Jack Nance, and Dean Stockwell, among others.
  • Outtakes (HD, 14:17) Outtakes from Pretty as a Picture: The Art of David Lynch.
  • Next Door to Dark (Audio Only, 43:39) Originally recorded in 2018, David Lynch and his coauthor, Kristine McKenna, reading from the chapter “Next Door to Dark”, from their book Room to Dream.
  • The Making of Lost Highway (HD, 13:03) David Lynch discusses his love for cinema and the making of Lost Highway. This also includes brief interviews with cast members.
  • David Lynch, 1997 (HD, 11:25) David Lynch discuss the film noir qualities and how his obsession with the O.J. case affected the film.
  • Trailer (HD, 1:00) The re-release trailer for the 4K.
  • Leaflet: Excerpts from an interview with David Lynch from filmmaker and writer Chris Rodley’s book Lynch on Lynch.