
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
1992, Drama/Crime, 2h 15m
75 Reviews 25,000+ RatingsWhat to know
critics consensus
For better or worse, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me is every bit as strange and twisted as you'd expect from David Lynch. Read critic reviews
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Movie Info
Cast & Crew
Special Agent Dale Cooper
Laura Palmer
Donna Hayward
Phillip Jeffries
Special Agent Chester Desmond
Carl Rodd
News & Interviews for Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
Critic Reviews for Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
All Critics (75) | Top Critics (16) | Fresh (48) | Rotten (27)
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David Lynch's prequel film, maligned upon its initial release, can now be seen as a hinge in his filmography - and a hint of what's to come.
May 19, 2017 | Full Review… -
In its own singular, deeply strange way, Fire Walk With Me is David Lynch's masterpiece.
December 13, 2013 | Rating: 4/4 | Full Review… -
There have always been two sides to Lynch: the inscrutable, demonic prankster and the rhapsodic dreamer. In Fire Walk With Me, he's at least trying to recover his poetic sincerity. If only his dreams weren't starting to look like reruns.
May 3, 2013 | Rating: C | Full Review… -
At its best, it's a dream within a dream, a nightmare in endlessly reflecting pop mirrors, a screen full of TV-movie sex and horror kitsch blowing up right in our faces.
May 3, 2013 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review… -
In Twin Peaks the movie, all the twists get straightened out. The thrill is gone.
May 3, 2013 | Rating: 2.5/4 | Full Review… -
For those who are willing to go the distance with Lynch, the return trip to Twin Peaks is well worth the trouble.
May 3, 2013 | Full Review…
Audience Reviews for Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
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May 27, 2017A bit too bizarre for me; the awesome weirdness of the series doesn't play out as well in a movie's length. Need to rewatch!Ed K Super Reviewer
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Oct 03, 2016Only two years after winning the Palme d'Or at Cannes for Wild at Heart, David Lynch decided to revisit the town of his much loved TV series Twin Peaks and explore more of that mystery. Only this time at Cannes his film was booed and jeered out the door. Critics hated it. However, if you're a fan of the TV series then this prequel is pretty much essential viewing. Twin Peaks' homecoming queen, Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) is a struggling teenager who, by day, is a sought after and cherished member of her small town community. But she leads a double life and, by night, she has an obvious sexual promiscuity and spiralling cocaine habit that explain the circumstances which led to her demise - ending where the television series began. From the opening shot of Fire Walk With Me, Lynch makes a bold statement on what to expect from the film. He depicts a television with no reception before quickly smashing it with an axe. It doesn't take much to understand the symbolism. This film is not in the same style or the quirky, off-beat approach that the TV series had. This is a much violent and sinister revisit to Twin Peaks. Maybe this is the reason why critics gave it a mauling. Although most of the criticisms seem to stem from it being indecipherable. As is often the case with Lynch, though, answers don't come easy and if you haven't seen the television show then this film will, admittedly, make no sense whatsoever. As an avid fan of the show, I personally think this is a superb companion piece and one of Lynch's most criminally underrated films. As much as its tone is darker, it still flirts with the Twin Peaks vibe. The majority of the characters from the series reappear and Lynch also introduces some new one's that fit into the story perfectly; Agent Chet Desmond (Chris Isaak) and his forensic partner Sam Stanley (Kiefer Sutherland) dominate the opening of the film as they investigate the murder of Teresa Banks in the town of Deer Meadow and how her death could have implications on future murders. Their segment of the story contains some classic Lynchian moments - as well as Lynch himself making another welcome appearance as the hard-of-hearing FBI Chief Gordon Cole. From there, we move forward a year and back to Twin Peaks, for the last seven days of Laura Palmer's life. It's here that Sheryl Lee takes centre stage. She had little to do in the series but here Lynch makes her the focus of the film and Lee embraces the chance. Her performance is absolutely superb. She conveys a wide range of emotions and fully captures the despair of Laura. Her struggle is a harrowing and heartbreaking experience and feels, very much, like a tangible tragedy. Along the way, we also get a glimpse of some familiar characters and places; Kyle MacLachlan's Special Agent Dale Cooper makes a brief appearance as does The Man From Another Place and, of course, Killer Bob. We visit The Black Lodge and The Red Room and a genuinely unsettling scene involving the appearance (and disappearance) of David Bowie's Philip Jeffries. Surreal paintings, a dancing lady with a blue rose, backwards taking dwarves, log ladies and oscillating uvulas. This is classic Lynch and his vision of Twin Peaks and the duality of Laura Palmer's life is an altogether nightmarish one. His usual exploration of the depths of the human psyche is once again the major theme as he explores the psychological torture of individuals struggling with good and evil, loneliness and abandonment and the downward spiral of Laura, in particular, weighs devastatingly heavy. It can often be overlooked how much of horror this film is. It's not one in your conventional sense, though. It deals more with the evil within an everyday person and has dark forces at work but it doesn't have the archetypal spectre dressed up for a particular day of the festive year. They don't wield weapons or are seemingly indestructible. The evil at work here is what lingers under the facade of people and that psychological depth is what makes Lynch's film a masterclass in absolute terror. If your a fan of the series then this should appeal very highly. Otherwise, it's probably a Lynch film that you'll want to avoid. Either way, the critics got this wrong. Only those with a lack of familiarity or love for the cult show should find fault here. Mark WalkerMark W Super Reviewer
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Mar 07, 2016Put bluntly, this is not for the uninitiated; but for those who saw the series, this messy prequel is much easier to understand than it seems, inviting us into the dark world of Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee is fantastic) yet failing to present any reason as to why it had to be made at all.Carlos M Super Reviewer
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Nov 29, 2012David Lynch continues his groundbreaking television series with the prequel film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. The story follows the descent into madness of high school homecoming queen Laura Palmer as she struggles with supernatural forces. That cast includes Sheryl Lee, Ray Wise, Moira Kelly, and Kiefer Sutherland. Unfortunately, the film demystifies the series in a lot of ways and gives a far more seedy depiction of events than the television series suggested. Additionally, the bizarre and surrealist tone is overdone and lacks subtlety. While Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me adds to the mythology of the series, it doesn't work as an independent film and is missing the lighthearted camp that made the television show so compelling.Dann M Super Reviewer
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