4/5 The Lynch Doesn't Fall Far from the Tree
  by Charles Reinebold (Phoenix, AZ USA)
A quirky procedural on the surface about a pair of FBI agents investigating murders in the American southwest, "Surveillance" turns expectations on its head with one unheard whisper from a child victim. You might quibble with the timing of when director Jennifer Lynch's truth is revealed--I didn't see it coming until shortly before the moment--but you can't argue with the performances, especially Bill Pullman and Julia Ormond. Not for the squeemish, and the contradictory recollections of the victims and perpetrators as the story unfolds is a nice touch. A much better effort than her last feature, "Boxing Helena," "Surveillance" actually tries to lead you down a twisted path that you can follow. Kudos to her for also following her story to the unsettling end rather than looking for the easy way out for audiences.

2/5 Didn't really work for me
  by Darin Hyatt (Elk Grove, CA USA)
The film draws you in for the first half of it. But then it took a turn to "not bloody likely". Even with me thinking Julia Ormond is super hot, I couldn't get into the ending of this film. And, for a suspense drama where it builds up to the ending, the end of the story is really the whole point of the movie. The truth of the crime turns out to be way to complex to have pulled off except in the most usually luckiest of situations. And, since this is a planned crime, it just doesn't hold water. If you can turn your brain off the second half of the film, I suppose this movie would be entertaining, but I wasn't able to manage it.

4/5 A seriously demented and gripping flick
  by N. Durham (Philadelphia, PA)
Proving that Boxing Helena was a long time ago, Jennifer "daughter of David" Lynch returns with Surveillance, a seriously demented and engaging thriller that echoes enough of her father's warped work, but manages to stand on its own. David Lynch vets Julia Ormond and Bill Pullman play FBI Agents who are assigned to track a serial killer, and gather the stories of a handful of survivors from a horrible ordeal, including a young girl (Ryan Simpkins), a drug raddled woman (Pell James), and a seriously demented cop (co-writer and co-producer Kent Harper). As each gives their own story as to what happened, we the viewer see through flashbacks what really occurred, all leading up to a plot twist which you might see coming. Despite that though, Surveillance remains intricately gripping, and really kicks into high gear after the halfway point of the running time. Also featuring Michael Ironside, French Stewart, and Cheri Oteri; Surveillance is definitely not something for everybody, but for those looking for a twisty, demented thriller in the Lynch vein, look no further than here.

4/5 Not a solid Blu, but definitely a Lynch film
  by Steve Kuehl (Ben Lomond, CA)
What a wicked film this turned out to be. Was not prepared for the level of depravity, and I think that is partially responsible for the hate directed at this film. I could not give this a higher rating on the product review end because I was just not that impressed with the Blu results.

A plot description beyond the poorly written version of events on the cover typically gives too much away, as noted on several other reviews here (as bad as it sounds try not to read most of the other reviews here as they keep giving the twist away - which once the film is done, the twist is the only worthwhile plot device). The performances are good, especially in the final 18 minutes of carnage and Natural Born Killer references, and when the credits roll, you will probably find yourself either aligning with the half that hated everything about it, or the other half that felt Lynch's daughter is definitely following the train to left field (therefore loving it).

The picture clarity is a mixed bag as the majority of flashback sequences are done with a heavy grain and an over saturation. The colors are overexposed during those times also, insofar that the Blu display isn't exactly given a fair shake. The DTS is sporadically excellent, but there was some obvious mixing problems during the police station sequences (reference the hall echoes and interrogations). The supplements are short but include:
* 15 minute making-of that covers the production in a Lynch kind of way (complete with her dropping the F bomb 30 or so times as she directs to make her point). If anything, the obvious humor the crew had with the Canadian town name - Regina - was fun to watch (they kept repeating "the town that rhymes with the word for fun").
* 5 Minute HDNET clip, essentially a long trailer.
* 12 minutes of deleted scenes; they prove the gratuitous and over-the-top nature Lynch was working towards - as yes, these include the now famous cuts of Ormond and Pullman smothering themselves in lard and love - for a very lengthy time. The alternate ending is very different than what one sees in the main cut; much more Romeo and Juliet.

Sitting on the fence on whether to recommend it outright or not, so I would have to say it might be worth spending your BD budget on this one if you are a big fan of Lynch; and without giving too much away, wanting to see Pullman and Ormond do something very different. 3 for the film, 1 for the extras, enjoy.