Lost Highway, written by Lynch and Barry Gifford, is a surreal, twisted thing in which characters frequently morph into other characters, and people disappear and reappear at any given moment, in addition to sometimes occupying multiple areas of time and space. The movie’s theme centers on the first deadly sin and the retribution that must be paid by those who commit it. It’s sort of a Double Indemnity meets Dante’s Inferno type of thing that surely must leave many members of the audience in a haze at the film’s close.

The movie borrows much from the film noir school of the thirties and forties, including snippets of dialogue and the underlying tone of the soundtrack. Instead of being a whodunit, however, the film is more of a what’s-going-on-here crime thriller. This, I believe, has everything to do with one of the main points that the authors are trying to make. According to Lynch and company, life is a bizarre affair, full of inexplicably absurd moments that we all sheepishly seem to pass through day after day.

Lynch not only brings these things to our attention, he pretty much jams them in our faces. The result is a startling and often disturbing movie. The latest "Lynching" is a rich treat of disparate elements that make for a smart and sexy romp.

The characters -- including Bill Pullman and Patricia Arquette as Fred and Renee Madison, and Balthazar Getty as Pete -- wander through the film in near trances never stopping to question the insane events that spin around them like a tournedo. When finally a character -- a prison guard on death row -- mentions that "some pretty spooky shit is goin’ on," the audience howls with laughter at the understated quality of the remark.

Additional actors include Robert Blake who is cast as the Mystery Man. Blake’s character is the strangest of the lot, which makes sense given the actor’s somewhat eccentric disposition. Needless to say Blake does a fine job of making the hairs on the backs of our necks stand at attention with a little help from some pancake makeup and ears that rival those of Dumbo. The movie also features Gary Busey, Robert Loggia and a small appearance by Richard Pryor.

Lost Highway is not for everyone; I’m sure many will find it a bit too outré for their sensibilities. However, it is an intense and original piece of film-making as most of Lynch’s work tends to be. A great soundtrack -- produced by Trent Reznor and including tunes by Bowie, Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, The Smashing Pumpkins and Lou Reed -- doesn’t serve to hurt matters much either.