VIDEO WITH DAVID LYNCH AT THE WHEEL, KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN.

Byline: Rob Lowman Entertainment Editor

ON THE DVD of David Lynch's ``Mulholland Drive,'' the director offers ``10 clues to unlocking this thriller.'' The first was that ``two clues are revealed before the credits.''

Having seen ``Mulholland Drive'' before, I thought I'd be able to detect them as I watched the opening sequence of swing dancers going through their steps, sort of a demented Gap commercial. Well, I did see a couple of things that I thought might be clues, but as is the case for most of this film, I'm not sure I'm right.

As with other Lynch films (``Blue Velvet,'' ``Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me''), ``Mulholland Drive'' takes you into the director's particularly odd wonderland, where corruption and decay simmer beneath the surface. As many have noted, the film can be seen as a Hollywood fantasy - or a nightmare - that comments on Tinseltown's dream factory.

``Mulholland Drive'' begins as a mystery when a young brunette (Laura Harring) survives a car crash along the famed Los Angeles road. The accident kills the sinister men who were driving her.

Dazed, she wanders down into the city, emerging near Sunset Boulevard, and takes refuge in an empty apartment. A short while later, a young blond actress, Betty (Naomi Watts), fresh from a small town in Canada, arrives at the apartment of her aunt, who is out of town - and discovers the young woman in the shower. Not knowing who she is, the brunette sees a poster on the wall of ``Gilda'' and adopts the name of Rita, as in Hayworth.

The innocent Betty befriends Rita, who is carrying a bag full of money and a mysterious blue key, and the two then try to figure out Rita's true identity. Before long, however, this story thread becomes twisted with other plot strands.

You'll notice that colors are mentioned a lot. Lynch's second clue is about the appearance of a ``red lampshade.'' As in dreams, colors are significant, and what Lynch has given us here is a dark reflection on what Hollywood does to those who are swallowed up in it - both those who crave the fame and those who worship it.

Does ``Mulholland Drive'' make sense? I'm not sure anyone knows, except Lynch, and maybe a postmodern Dr. Freud. However, it is a unique cinematic vision, and Lynch is at the height of his directorial powers as he brings his personal obsessions to the screen. Bottom line: Go for a ride on ``Mulholland Drive'' - even if you don't know where it's going.

WORTH PLAYING?: There is a scene in Tony Scott's ``Spy Game'' where two suicide bombers pray before going off and blowing up their target - and themselves. The event is supposed to take place in the mid-'80s in Lebanon, but can't help but remind you of what is going on in the Middle East today.

The film, which stars Robert Redford and Brad Pitt as two CIA agents, doesn't delve much into the political implications of the actions of its spies, however. If anything, ``Spy Game's'' razzle-dazzle seems to reflect the shallowness of the way American geopolitical policy is portrayed.

The framework of the story takes place in 1991 when Tom Bishop (Pitt) is captured trying to break someone out of a Chinese prison. Nathan Muir (Redford), an ``old-school'' player in the new post-Cold War era, wakes up to hear the news back in Washington. The sly Nathan is hardly shocked that the new agency bureaucrats want to let Tom be executed in order not to upset the pending trade agreement with China.

Having recruited Tom as an assassin at the end of the Vietnam War, Nathan feels a loyalty and plays a game of his own, working against his superiors' intentions - even as they debrief him. It is through the debriefing that we see how Tom and Nathan operated through the Cold War, trying to justify their ``games'' in the name of patriotism - even as the carnage piles up.

Even as it tries to be real, ``Spy Game'' ultimately undercuts any seriousness it may intend. Luckily, though, Redford has aged into his role, reminding you of an older version of the CIA analyst he played in the 1975 film ``Three Days of the Condor.'' While Pitt, with his bravado and good looks, is fine as the brash Tom, when Redford's Nathan is on screen, you feel you're seeing something with more depth than ``Spy Game'' has.

FERTILE, FUNNY: In a surprise, ``No Man's Land,'' written and directed by Danis Tanovic - a documentary filmmaker from Bosnia and Herzegovina - won the Oscar for best foreign film, beating out the favorite, ``Ameile.'' Though ``No Man's Land'' has an absurdist bent to it, the grim reality it portrays will make you shake your head in abject frustration.

Tanovic sets up a simple premise. Two Bosnian soldiers and one Serbian soldier are trapped in a trench between the opposing enemy lines. One of the Bosnians, Cera, was assumed to be dead and placed by enemy soldier atop a ``bouncing mine'' - a type of trap - so that when one of his compatriots goes to retrieve his body, any movement will trigger the mine.

The other two men - a Bosnian, Ciki (Branko Djuric) and a Serb, Nino (Rene Bitorajac) - face off against each other, taking turns forcing their will on each other, depending on who has the gun, as they alternately get the drop on each other. In fact, the usual refrain when ordering someone to do something is: ``Because I have a gun and you don't.''

The two then act out the war in microcosm, blaming each side for starting the conflict, finding they have things in common, cooperating when they have to, but ultimately resorting to their childish hatred of each other.

Into this come an ineffectual United Nations peacekeeping force and journalists who - even if they are moved by the suffering - can't seem to report on the news without exploiting their subjects.

There are plenty of satirical jabs in ``No Man's Land.'' A U.N. commander is named Col. Soft, but as supercilious as his character is, Simon Callow imbues him with a toughness, and that can be said for the entire film.

``Mulholland Drive'' (Universal) lists for $32.98 on DVD and $79.99 on VHS.

``Spy Game'' (Universal) lists for $26.98 on DVD and $79.99 on VHS.

``No Man's Land'' (MGM) lists for $26.98 on DVD and is not yet released on VHS.