Crime thriller hailed as one of the best films of all time streaming on Amazon Prime

Cliff Notes – Crime thriller hailed as one of the best films of all time streaming on Amazon Prime

• Revitalisation of Lynch’s Career: Released in 1986, Blue Velvet helped restore David Lynch’s reputation after the commercial failure of Dune in 1984, earning him an Oscar nomination for Best Director.

• Critical Acclaim and Legacy: Initially divisive, the film has since been recognised as one of the greatest films ever made, holding a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and being selected as one of the ten greatest American mystery films by the American Film Institute in 2008.

• Streaming Availability: Blue Velvet is now available on Amazon Prime Video, following the recent passing of Lynch, allowing new audiences to experience its provocative storytelling and distinctive directorial style.

Blue Velvet is widely considered one of David Lynch’s best films (Picture: DEG/Shutterstock)

One of David Lynch’s most revered films of the 80s has arrived on Amazon Prime Video.

Released in 1986, Blue Velvet was declined by several major studios due to its graphic sexual and violent content, but went on to revitalise Lynch’s career following the failure of Dune in 1984.

Starring Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Dennis Hopper, and Laura Dern, Blue Velvet follows teen sleuth Jeffrey Beaumont (MacLachlan), who returns home when his father suffers a stroke.

When he discovers a severed ear in a field, he teams up with detective’s daughter Sandy Williams (Dern) to crack the case, leading them into the warped world of psychopath Frank Booth (Hopper) and lounge singer Dorothy Vallens (Rossellini).

Despite dividing critics at the time of its release, Blue Velvet earned Lynch his second Oscar nomination for Best Director and scooped accolades from the National Society of Film Critics.

In the decades that have followed its release, it is not only widely considered one of Lynch’s best films, but one of the greatest films ever released.

Blue Velvet follows Jeffrey Beaumont as he resolves to uncover the mystery of a severed ear (Picture: Moviestore/Shutterstock)

It additionally stars Isabella Rossellini and Laura Dern (pictured) (Picture: Moviestore/Shutterstock)

In 2008, it was chosen by the American Film Institute as one of the ten greatest American mystery films.

Blue Velvet currently holds a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critics’ consensus reading: ‘If audiences walk away from this subversive, surreal shocker not fully understanding the story, they might also walk away with a deeper perception of the potential of film storytelling.’

In their review, London Evening Standard said: ‘At the risk of being called a sick son of a b***h, I believe it to be one of the most extraordinarily erotic and mesmerising experiences I have ever had in the cinema.

‘Blue Velvet has the power to unsettle and disturb like nothing else.’

Atlanta Journal-Constitution added: ‘Lynch pushes audiences into places not everyone wants to go, and Blue Velvet is not a conventional good time at the movies. But it is one of the most brilliant and provocative films of the year.’

Boston Globe wrote: ‘It utterly redeems Lynch from the debacle of Dune and is that rarest of Hollywood products — a riveting, complex, layered film with a distinctive and highly vivid directorial signature.’

Blue Velvet reinvigorated David Lynch’s career and has been named the greatest film of all time by numerous publications (Picture: Moviestore/Shutterstock)

It comes months after the death of revered director David Lynch (Picture: Ernesto S. Ruscio/Getty Images)

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The Fort Worth Star praised: ‘As perfect and perfectly disturbing a picture as the American cinema has delivered.

‘This masterful film taps unflinchingly into perversion and decadence in order to present wholesome enlightenment with both a challenge and a conduit.’

Blue Velvet’s addition to Prime Video comes months after Lynch’s death, aged 78.

Lynch’s cause of death has since been confirmed as cardiac arrest due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The visionary died after becoming housebound with emphysema following years of chain smoking, and a death certificate released by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has confirmed COPD was an underlying condition suffered by the auteur.

Countless fans and collaborators paid tribute to Lynch in the wake of his death earlier this year, with many reflecting on the tremendous impact his art had on the world, from The Elephant Man to Twin Peaks.

Blue Velvet is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video

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