Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992)

A young FBI agent disappears while investigating a murder miles from Twin Peaks that may be related to the future murder of Laura Palmer; the last week of the life of Laura Palmer is chronicled.

Director:

David Lynch

Writers:

David Lynch, Robert Engels

Stars:

Sheryl Lee, Ray Wise, Mädchen Amick

4 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sheryl Lee	...	Laura Palmer
Ray Wise	...	Leland Palmer
Mädchen Amick	...	Shelly Johnson
Dana Ashbrook	...	Bobby Briggs
Phoebe Augustine	...	Ronette Pulaski
David Bowie	...	Phillip Jeffries
Eric DaRe	...	Leo Johnson
Miguel Ferrer	...	Albert Rosenfeld
Pamela Gidley	...	Teresa Banks
Heather Graham	...	Annie Blackburn
Chris Isaak	...	Special Agent Chester Desmond
Moira Kelly	...	Donna Hayward
Peggy Lipton	...	Norma Jennings
David Lynch	...	Gordon Cole
James Marshall	...	James Hurley

Storyline

Essentially a prequel to David Lynch and Mark Frost's earlier TV series "Twin Peaks". The first half-hour or so concerns the investigation by FBI Agent Chet Desmond (Chris Isaak) and his partner Sam Stanley (Kiefer Sutherland) into the murder of night-shift waitress Teresa Banks in the small Washington state town of Deer Meadow. When Desmond finds a mysterious clue to the murder, he inexplicably disappears. The film then cuts to one year later in the nearby town of Twin Peaks and follows the events during the last week in the life of Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) a troubled teenage girl with two boyfriends; the hot-tempered rebel Bobby Briggs (Dana Ashbrook) and quiet biker James Hurley (James Marshall), her drug addiction, and her relationship with her difficult (and possible schizophrenic) father Leland (Ray Wise), a story in which her violent murder was later to motivate much of the TV series. Contains a considerable amount of sex, drugs, violence, very loud music and inexplicable ...

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Plot Keywords:

surrealism | double life | incest | cult female character | tragic female character | 

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Taglines:

In a town like Twin Peaks, no one is innocent.

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, sex, and drug content, and for language

Details

Country:

USA France

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 August 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, Teresa Banks and the Last Seven Days of Laura Palmer

Filming Locations:

708 33rd St, Everett, Washington, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,813,559, 28 August 1992, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$4,160,851

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema,CiBy 2000,Twin Peaks Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

134 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby DTS (DVD version) Dolby Digital (DVD version)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

David Lynch: [highway at night]

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Goofs

Norma's hair is noticeably shorter than it was in the series, which takes place only a few days after the events of the film.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Gordon: [shouting very loud] GET ME SPECIAL AGENT CHESTER DESMOND OUT IN FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA!

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Alternate Versions

Lynch filmed about 5 hours of total footage for Fire Walk With Me. However, none of the extra footage was ever released in any way shape or form. Some of it may resurface as additional material on an upcoming DVD release.

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Connections

Referenced in Life Is Strange: Before the Storm (2017)

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Soundtracks

Sycamore Trees
Vocal by Jimmy Scott (as Little Jimmy Scott)
Lyric by David Lynch
Music by Angelo Badalamenti
Publishing: Anlon Music Co./ASCAP, Bobkind Music/ASCAP

User Reviews

The last 7 dark days of the Homecoming Queen's Life...

Bob, Agent Cooper, Laura Palmer, Teresa Banks, The Man From Another Place, etc...

Welcome back to David Lynch's offbeat town of TWIN PEAKS.

Much darker than the TV series, this film was in part meant to answer many previously unanswered questions, but if anything - in typical Lynch fashion - it tangles things even further, and confuses matters all round.

Lynch apparently shot more than 5 hours of the feature, and as much of these deleted/extended/alternative scenes are still missing, the movie we're left with feels rather bare and rushed.

The performances are excellent, and the movie is visually stunning, and as usual the plot - while confusing - is intense and riveting.

But alas it could have been so so so much more.... (sighs)