not as good as all the hype

A Brilliant Conflict

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Every reality hangs in the balance.Issues with intelligence Agencies...Celebrities... Meet People:good & evil...WONDERLAND IS THE BOMB! Adventure,experience that it is intrigue and that it are bound by action and it seems the more questions you have the more answers that you have understood...good and evil trapped in a historical fiction wrapped around the absurd stuffed in a "film"..

This film explores a rough slice drawn from the life of notorious porn star John Holmes (aka Johnny Wadd). It strongly hints at his involvement with the July 1, 1981 brutal slayings that took place on Wonderland Avenue, one of the many side streets off Laurel Canyon Boulevard in Los Angeles. Laurel Canyon is well known for its twists and turns, hidden crevices and offbeat landscape suggesting the strange and bizarre.The story is told from two points of view: Holmes' (Val Kilmer) and David Lind's (Dylan McDermott)-Holmes' dealer. Since Holmes refused to name names, what really went down in that apartment that night will never precisely be known, but this film makes a convincing case as to what happened. A top crime boss gets robbed and is out for revenge.Kilmer's performance etches Holmes into our consciousness as a man who is wallowing in the pit of what was once his claim-to-fame, the man with the 14-inch cock. Now driven by an insatiable out-of-control coke habit, he will stoop to anything to stoke it, including debasing himself and his teenybopper girlfriend, Dawn Schiller (Kate Bosworth), whom he sets up to screw Eddie Nash (Eric Bogosian), the kingpin drug lord and the man who reputedly ordered the Wonderland murders.Holmes' nonstop motor mouth will say what is needed and promise what is needed as long as he can satisfy his craving. In addition to Kilmer's performance, the cinematography―with its speeding up of some of the frames―captures the frantic pace of someone living in that world―or to be more precise: allowing that world to live him. His coke habit constrained him to execute certain behaviors that he had no more control over than an automaton.I can't unequivocally endorse this movie since gory murders and drug-fueled parties (convincingly done) aren't everyone's cup of tea. But for what it intends, namely, to show the drug-fueled frantic mania of late '70s/early '80s LA with its anything-goes attitude, it's first-rate.It's a travesty of justice that the real villain of the whole affair―so insidious and powerful that the LA police were hesitant to touch him―got away literally with murder. But LA seems to be famous for that sort of thing.7/10PS Holmes died on March 13, 1988 as a result of AIDS.

One of the best movie's VAL ever made! By researching the fact's of this flick. It is 99% fact! Great job by entire cast! Hat's off! Excellent movie! Recommend watching! Not a waist of time! Being a very big fan of Vla Kilmer, i must say he should have received an award for his fantastic portrayal of the notorious, Jonny Wadd! Was not a fan of John Holmes, although I was very aware of who and what he was. I also researched his background in searching for fact;s on the movie. H was just a slob with a huge XXXX!. I also understand he resorted to making gay pornography movie's at the end of his carrier. What up with that? 1,400 women I guess went through just about every woman that would have anything to do with him. Well knowing his background, i think if I were a woman, I also would stay far,fr away from him. Also at the time when H,I,V & Aid's were becoming know about! With that said, You should take the time to watch it. Well worth it! Enjoy!

My girlfriend and I bought this film from a second hand shop knowing nothing about the film or the subjects being depicted. I loved the sleazy feel to the film right from the start. Val Kilmer is perfect in this role you shouldn't believe a word he says but his charm pulls you in. My only problem with the film was just as I was starting to get in to the film it ended. I wish we had seen more of the Wonderland gang and more of the reasons for them hating John Holmes. The dynamic between Lisa Kudrow and Kilmer was very well acted. But I would of liked to have seen more evidence of why it turned and sour and why she was close to the Dawn character. Too many loose ends for my liking which after further reading on the subject made sense. Hard to believe that this film and Boogie Nights are based on the same person! Still Wonderland is a bargain at only £3!!!