Wild Things

Americans are prudes.  Sure, we can handle an all-you-can-eat buffet of over-the-top violence, but when it comes to people bumping their naughty parts together, we fall back on our puritanical instincts, at least as far as mainstream cinema is concerned.  There was a brief renaissance though in the ‘90s that began with Basic Instinct and bled into notorious thrillers like Sliver, Body of Evidence and Color of Night where a healthy dose of bloodletting helped the sexy parts go down.  1997’s Wild Things was really the last hurrah for this Cinemax-inspired sexual awakening, marketed around a must-see threesome between stars Matt Dillon, Neve Campbell and Denise Richards.

Sam Lombardo (Dillion) is a high school guidance counselor and well-known lothario among the upper crust housewives in as exclusive Florida community.   That reputation comes back to haunt him when he’s accused of rape by two students (Campbell and Richards) whose stories seem remarkably similar.  But after the case is surprisingly dismissed, a local cop (played by Kevin Bacon) smells a rat and digs deeper into the personal lives of everyone involved, suspecting a conspiracy that could lead to murder. 

 

Built around the twists and turns of classic film noir, the saving grace of Wild Things is that it never takes itself too seriously (the cardinal sin of all the aforementioned thrillers listed above).

Although the threesome created plenty of buzz, it’s Bill Murray performance as an ambulance-chasing lawyer that sets the film’s pleasantly ironic tone.  Director John McNaughton seems content to just let the script speak for itself, taking advantage of a cast that’s in on the joke (except for Campbell who seems uncomfortable in every scene) and steamy Florida cinematography that seems torn from the descriptions in a John D. McDonald novel.  Denise Richards creates her own weather system, owning the screen every time she’s on it.  And while the third act takes one twist too many, it’s still a lot of fun getting there. 

 

Arrow Video’s new 4K Ultra HD set includes a new restoration of both the theatrical and extended unrated edition.  Set mostly during bright daylight, you wouldn’t think this one would benefit much from the HDR treatment, but it does, providing a nice upgrade from the included Blu-ray.  Extras include a new commentary from McNaughton and company (along with the previous version), new interviews with McNaughton and Richards, lobby cards, fold-out poster, collector’s booklet and legacy extras ported over from the old edition.

 

 

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