Wild Things

Starring: Kevin Bacon, Matt Dillon, Neve Campbell, Denise Richards, Theresa Russell, Robert Wagner, Bill Murray
Directed by: John McNaughton
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
1998

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: A high school guidance counselor (Matt Dillon) is accused of raping two students (Neve Campbell, Denise Richards), and as a cop (Kevin Bacon) begins to investigate, he soon discovers there may be more to the story than first appears.

Review:

Tim: Erotic thrillers very often get a bad rap, and I can understand that. By their very nature, these films are a bit trashy and easy to hate. But, when they are done right (i.e., Basic Instinct), they can be quite good. I firmly believe Wild Things is one of those films. If you can look past the trashy qualities and the unnecessary eroticism, you will find a shocking, twisting, intelligent thriller. I was surprised at how many times this movie threw me off balance, as twists and turns come at you over and over again. I thought the story was great, and as a whole, this was a surprisingly good thriller. I also understand many people will strongly disagree with me, and that is okay- that's what makes movies so great.

Without giving anything away, Wild Things is chock full of surprising twists and turns of events. It took a great deal of intelligence to write such a blindsiding movie, while keeping it at least fairly logical. By the end of the film, when everything has been revealed, I marveled at where I started with the film, and where I ended up. It is impressive how this film chose to reveal its twists, and that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats- you never know exactly what is going on. Plus, this movie holds up to repeat viewings as well.

The cast goes a long way to making this an above-average and occasionally great thriller. Matt Dillon gives one of his best performances- a sympathetic yet mysterious performance that simultaneously draws you in, and yet, keeps you at a distance. I really liked him here. Neve Campbell gives an underrated performance. While I watched the movie, I wasn't very impressed with her, but by the film's end, she won me over. Denise Richards is good as well, although her acting ability isn't the greatest. She delivered exactly what was asked of her, and she is believable as the rich, spoiled high school student. I will never complain about Kevin Bacon's presence in a movie, but I wish he had more to do here. I also loved the unlikely yet excellent casting of Bill Murray. Murray's presence here was a bit of a head-scratcher, but it worked extremely well. I just enjoyed him in his few scenes in this film. The cast was impressive, as the right actors were all in the right roles.

I definitely understand that Wild Things is not a movie for everyone. Had I been in a different frame of mind, I could have easily hated this, too. However, I appreciated the unconventional story, the surprising events, and a movie that embraced its trashy side. I wouldn't want all my movies to look like this one, but once in a while, it's refreshing to watch a movie like this.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Basic Instinct, Indecent Proposal, Sleepers, When Will I Be Loved