This film was ruined, as far as I can see, by the twist at the end, and by the directing in most parts. Until the twist was revealed, I'd assumed that Bill Pullman and Julia Ormond were simply giving the worst performances of their careers. As it happens, they were doing a reasonable job, but to no avail.
The dialogue was utterly abysmal. I think Lynch is trying to create an atmosphere of complete discomfort for the audience by employing this 'trick', but instead it only serves to hamper any character development. Rather than create a creepy-but-socially-adaptable character in Sam Hallaway, Pullman and Lynch have turned him into someone who appears to be suffering from the after-effects of a lobotomy. He also spends the entire film looking like he has a cricked neck, which looked utterly stupid.
Essentially it's a good premise for a film, and it was occasionally tense and gripping. However, there's something missing, and I felt that whatever it was turned what could have been a great thriller into something slightly farcical.
The dialogue was utterly abysmal. I think Lynch is trying to create an atmosphere of complete discomfort for the audience by employing this 'trick', but instead it only serves to hamper any character development. Rather than create a creepy-but-socially-adaptable character in Sam Hallaway, Pullman and Lynch have turned him into someone who appears to be suffering from the after-effects of a lobotomy. He also spends the entire film looking like he has a cricked neck, which looked utterly stupid.
Essentially it's a good premise for a film, and it was occasionally tense and gripping. However, there's something missing, and I felt that whatever it was turned what could have been a great thriller into something slightly farcical.