James Cox’s Wonderland first premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2003, and tells the story of legendary porn star John Holmes’ (Val Kilmer) association with the infamous Wonderland murders that occurred July 1, 1981 in Los Angeles. The story of this horrific homicide may be more familiar to previous generations, but this gives us all the more reason to watch it. Cox organizes the film via a police investigation of the murders in which drug addict Holmes relates his account of his association with the crime through a series of flashbacks. Holmes’ convincing account is then compared with heroin addict David Lind’s (Dylan McDermott) equally telling narrative of exactly what went down on Wonderland Ave., causing even the most knowledgeable viewer of the incident to wonder how these men were involved in what was considered one of the most grisly murders up to that time.
While the story of the Wonderland murders is interesting in itself, the construction of the film turns it into a truly intriguing investigation that explores much more than just who took part in the homicide. Wonderland explores an era in which sex, drugs and money were a prevalent and fascinating lifestyle. However, these indulgences are proven to be purely destructive not only in Holmes’ life, but also his mistress’ (Kate Bosworth), his drug dealing friend Ron Launius’ (Josh Lucas), infamous night club-owner Eddie Nash’s (Eric Bogosian) and numerous other individuals’. Holmes’ estranged wife (Lisa Kudrow) seems to be the only one in the film who has got it all together, but at the same time, she suffers from the loss of her once beloved husband and marriage that has seemingly turned into a “John Holmes charity” for whenever he needs help. Thus, while Wonderland investigates a murder, it also explores the personal lives of the prisoners to drugs and money that invoked it.
Anyone who has seen the more widely known film, Boogie Nights, which stars Mark Walberg and is based on Holmes’ successful career within the porn industry, will be interested to see how life turned out for him once he could not resist the surrounding temptations. It is obvious that once Holmes touched cocaine he never got back on track, and his craving for drugs and money somehow caused him to become a prime suspect of the gruesome Wonderland murders. While Wonderland depicts a historical murder, the characters’ problems that lead to their involvement with the crime are still very prevalent in today’s world. Hopefully this film will warn viewers of the life-threatening consequences of such a lifestyle. However, even if you’re not interested in history or health lessons, Wonderland will prove to be a fascinating film to anyone who enjoys crime thrillers combined with the drama and action associated with sex, money and drugs.
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