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Starring Matt Dillon, Denise Richards, Neve Campbell, Kevin Bacon, Theresa Russell, Robert Wagner, Bill Murray. Directed by John McNaughton. Written by Stephen Peters.
Sam Lombardo (Dillon) is a high school guidance counsellor in the picturesque and affluent Florida coast town of Blue Bay. A gorgeous senior student Kelly Van Ryan (Richards) has the hots for Sam, not least because Sam had a past fling with her mother (Russell). Kelly's family is worth millions, thanks to her late grandfather's past dealings in real estate. One day Kelly and a friend kindly volunteer to wash Sam's jeep, and Kelly sends her friend away before they're finished. Kelly goes into Sam's house, and then leaves a little dishelvelled. Days later, she claims to sex-crimes detective Ray Duquette (Bacon) that she was raped.
We're not shown the alleged assault - it is not clear whether Sam really did anything, or whether spoiled-child Kelly is seeking revenge because he refused her advances. But soon afterwards, another student, the troubled Suzie Toller (Campbell) from the poor side of the tracks comes forward claiming she too was raped in a similar manner as was Kelly. Is Sam a rapist, or are the girls from opposite social strata working together to set Sam up? At the trial, these questions are answered, with Sam represented by a down-at-the-heels lawyer (Murray). But then things start to get interesting, and very enjoyable, with non-stop plot twists and surprises. And the ending is superbly constructed, making all the proceeding events well-explained and plausible (stay for the ending credits to get it all).
The promotional trailer plays up the sex and attitude, and the film delivers. Each of the major characters is seen in various degrees of undress, with gorgeous babes in swimsuits, hunks with muscular pecs, catfights in the pool, bisexuality and all six degrees of Kevin Bacon. And the cinematography is spectacular. The film opens with gorgeous shots flying over the Florida Everglades, with slo-mo shots of indigenous birds, and beautiful sunsets. Throughout, the film maximizes the allure of the attractive cast. In the scene in which the girls wash Sam's car, the camera hugs the sun-bronzed curves of the women as the water splashes their skimpy t-shirts and cutoffs. And a later scene with Kelly swimming in the school pool shows the water dripping off her in slow motion as she leaves the pool. Sure it's trashy. But allow me to say it is done very, very effectively.
The film is actually smart and well-crafted - like the characters, much more intelligent than it seems. The cast is solid. Richards is of course gorgeous in every way, but she plays the cold and self-absorbed spoiled brat well. Dillon and Bacon are both good, concealing the secrets each has, until they are appropriately revealed. Campbell is fine as the rebel "pillhead swamp trash". But the highlight would be Bill Murray, the cheesy lawyer who's a lot smarter than he seems. The script is sharp and well-written, using just enough soap opera lines to get things steamy, but adding liberal amounts of wit and irony to keep things interesting. Some reviewer said this is as good as Basic Instinct, but it is so much better - better script and a lot more fun. Wild Things may be trash, but it is very fine trash.
