Wild Things Review

Sam Lombardo is popular in the affluent Florida community of Blue Bay, where he works as a teacher and, when not in the classroom, has cut a swathe through the local women, including influential socialite Sandra Van Ryan, Theresa Russell. Currently dating the daughter of Sandra`s attorney, Sam attempts to keep Sandra`s voluptuous teenage daughter, Kelly, Denise Richards, at arm`s length - but when she accuses him of rape he knows he`s in trouble. He hires a downmarket lawyer, Bill Murray, to defend him, but matters become complicated when another of his pupils, Suzie, Neve Campbell, also accuses him of rape. Detective Ray Duquette, Kevin Bacon, gets suspicious.... Director John McNaughton made his reputation with his notorious first feature, Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer. With Wild Things he`s working firmly in the mainstream, but still manages to subvert the material in all sorts of interesting ways. Most of all, this very wild film is perversely funny - and it`s funny when you least expect it to be. Throughout all the devious twists and turns of the plot, McNaughton keeps the temperature on the boil, with a directorial style that`s firmly over the top, deliberately and joyously melodramatic. His excellent cast plays along with the outrageous material, helping to make this erotic mystery a whole lot more fun than you might expect.