Wild Things

Plot synopsis:
Brittney Havers (Susan Ward), a South Florida high school senior, lives with her wealthy stepfather, Niles Dunlap (Anthony John Denison), after her mother ran her car off the road in "Gator Alley" and was presumably eaten by alligators a year earlier. When Dunlap is killed in a private plane crash, his will calls for Brittney to receive a small stipend until she finishes college, after which she will receive only $25,000 a year for life from the estate. The rest of Dunlap's assets, totaling $70 million, are to be left to a corporate trust, unless a blood heir can be found.
Brittney's brash, relatively poor classmate Maya (Leila Arcieri) suddenly claims to be Dunlap's illegitimate daughter as the result of her mother's extramarital affair. She is ordered by a judge to submit to a DNA test, the result of which proves she is Dunlap's child.
At the Dunlap home, Brittney hears a noise on her way to the wine cellar but it turns out to just be rats. Suddenly Maya appears and the girls reveal they are lovers before being joined by Dr. Julian Haynes (Joe Michael Burke), who had arranged the DNA test. The trio are in cahoots, running a scam to secure and share Dunlap's fortune.
Insurance investigator Terence Bridge (Isaiah Washington), investigating the circumstances of the plane crash, finds out from Dunlap's medical records that Dunlap had scarlet fever as a child, one of the side effects of which can be sterility, and asks Dr. Haynes how Dunlap could have fathered a child. Dr. Haynes gets nervous about the plot unraveling and contacts Maya. He agrees to meet her and Brittney that night at the docks, where Maya shoots him. The two girls dispose of his body in Gator Alley.
After Bridge learns the entire affair was planned, he shows up at the Dunlap home and demands half the money in return for not going to the police. Brittney, refusing to give up any of the money, gets a gun and points it at Bridge, but instead kills Maya. She tells Bridge that he has to earn his half. He loads Maya's body into the trunk of his car and he and Brittney drive off to dispose of it.
When they stop at a traffic light, Brittney gets out of the car and walks away as a police car pulls up behind them. Bridge can do nothing but drive away when the traffic light turns green and the police car honks at him to get moving. Brittney phones in an anonymous tip that Bridge's car trunk has a girl's dead body in it. He is soon arrested and jailed. A videotape from the Dunlap home security system shows Bridge demanding half of the inheritance money from Brittney and Maya.
Later, Brittney flies off in a private plane with the very much alive Dunlap, who had faked his own death to escape prosecution for misappropriating millions of dollars of corporate funds to pay his gambling debts, and also to avoid the Cuban gambler to whom he still owed millions. Brittney and Dunlap don parachutes, planning to bail out over swampland and disappear together. As Dunlap is poised to bail out, Brittney reveals that she packed his chute with newspaper and pushes him from the plane to his death. She then bails out, landing safely in the swamp, where her mother (Kathy Neff), also very much alive, is waiting for her in a swamp boat.
It is revealed that Brittney and her mother orchestrated everything, including the deaths of Brittney's co-conspirators, in order to steal Dunlap's fortune, and they relax in the sun on a tropical island. Brittney comes down the stairs of their villa overlooking the ocean with two drinks and hands one to her mother. As Brittney watches intently, her mother takes a sip and remarks that the drink is strong. Brittney replies "They do make them strong here, don't they?" with a wry smile, the implication being that she has poisoned the drink.

Tags: neo noir, gothic, murder, dramatic, cult, plot twist, romantic, revenge

Review:
Of course, Wild Things doesn't always come across very realistically and, at times even, it's downright ridiculous; but it's done in such a way that it doesn't matter, and because of that we have a film that can do what it wants.
It has to be said that the scene setting and way that the plot moves is somewhat ham-fisted, as sometimes it's painfully obvious that certain sections of the film exist only to give it another selling point; the argument that starts out between Denise Richards and Neve Campbell beside a swimming pool being a case in point.
However, McNaughton makes good of these selling points, and for every three way sex scene and absurd plot twist, the film gains an extra point for trashy entertainment value.It's not immediately obvious what Wild Things is going to be about, as the first twenty minutes serve only in setting the scene and from that base, the film could easily turn into any teenage school flick.
However, it turns out that this time is well used; as by nulling the audience into a false sense of security, the film is able to make sure that every twist comes as a surprise.
And yes, if you're the sort of person who specialises in spotting plot twists, then you're probably going to do well here.But if you haven't seen this film before, and you're prepared for something a bit on the lurid and trashy side, and you can manage to steer clear of the many spoilers among the reviews here, then you just might find that Wild Things is a fun ride.Because there are, it's true, a number of twists and turns, and not everyone sees them coming.
Neve Campbell, Denise Richards (surprisingly), and especially Matt Dillion turn in very good performances.
But overall the sexuality of this film is moderate at best.Why i really liked it is because all of the twists in the plots actually come together.
In Blue Bay's elite beach communities and into the murky waters of the Everglades, you would expect nothing beyond this venture until a guidance counselor (Matt Dillon) is accused of raping two high school students (Neve Campbell and Denise Richards).
While they are two detectives on the cast (Kevin Bacon and Daphne Rubin-Vega), they find out there's more than meets the eye in the mystery of deceit, sex and greed.Directed by John Mc Naughton (Herny:Portrait of a Serial Killer, Lansky, Normal Life) made an entertaining trashy noir that has an unique blend of sex, suspense, comedy and a twisted story.
Although I did not own the movie, you know that I went back to rent it a couple of more times because it was just so wonderful, and finally when I got the chance to buy it, I did, and now I have watched it numerous times on numerous occasions because it truly is an excellent movie that I can enjoy with every watch.Each actor and actress had a amazing role and they performed it with excellent expertise; I loved all the performances and they were all so fun and precise with the character they were given that in the long run they make the characters that would normally have been dull and uninteresting awesome and unable to look away from.
I thought the way each and every twist and turn in the plot was just so great that my eyes lingered on for more after it was over, which is why of course I watched it a second time, and the only problem I had with this movie is that it was not long enough, though if it had have been longer I do not think it would have worked out for the better or anything, if you understand what I am trying to say.
This movie is simply great, so wonderful; I would watch it over and over again if I had to simply because it is so fantastic and I really got into the way there was a major turning point at the ending that blows your mind, as well as the twist halfway through the film.
The whole thing is seemingly a conspiracy between Sam, Suzie, and Kelly, but we are never shown whose idea it is until the very end.This next passage will ruin a key surprise the film has in store, so don't read it if you haven't seen it.
Sure enough, this "straight" drama is wrapped up, only to subside into a larger thriller; a thriller in which twists and turns of the plot come at an ever faster rate, until in the end the film's aim is clearly to make you gasp rather than care (this is particularly evident when the missing holes in the plot are explained through the perfunctory insertion of extra scenes into the closing credits).
One might suggest that one is meant to smell a rat as a lead in to the film's later development; but it's not just the details of the situation that ring false, but the portrayal of the whole world (when the girl, for example, first gives a statement, one policewoman suspects her of lying from the start, but never tells her colleagues (or us) why - indeed, all police work seems to proceed by arbitrary pronouncement at all points).The twistier second half doesn't work either, in part because the first part proved so shallow; as none of the characters are likely or believable, who the hell cares if they aren't what they seem?
As the twists mount, the whole thing feels more like a parody of a David Mamet film; one can only suppose that it's meant to be humourous, but there's no humour beyond the outlines of the plot.
Matt Dillon, Kevin Bacon and Neve Campbell have all proven that they can act, but with "Wild Things" McNaughton could have saved himself a lot of money by employing monkeys or, better still, full-size cardboard cut-outs.The oft-mentioned nudity is tame in the extreme - you see Richards' assets briefly and there is a needless shot of Kevin Bacon's member, but beyond that, if you're looking for cheap titillation, you may want to look elsewhere.Ok, so you do get to see Denise Richards with very few clothes on.
He appears for a mere fraction of the running time, and still struggles under the cliché-ridden screenplay.Overall, this movie feels like a sort of extended episode of "Baywatch" or "Sunset Beach", with more violence and some nudity added in to try and appeal to randy adolescents; the only audience, surely, who could possibly be interested.
Prior to viewing this film, all I ever heard about it was the fact that Denise Richards, Neve Campbell and Matt Dillon engaged in a steamy threesome at some point in the movie.
It is difficult to go much further without giving the movie away, but unfortunately the added surprise plot twists ultimately don't save the film.
It is a shame he only played a minor role in the movie.To sum things up, even though this movie wasn't exactly what I expected of it, the actual story-line was so unmemorable that it will only be a matter of time before I begin referring it to "the movie where  Denise Richards, Neve Campbell and Matt Dillon engage in a steamy threesome."
But when you get to the final twist in "Wild Things", instead of being genuinely amazed and delighted, you end up thinking "you've got to be kidding!"  You're ready for it to come to a merciful conclusion.
Apart from some stylish visuals and a flavourful musical score, there is nothing to recommend about this turkey: a plot with twists and turns which are about as inspired as those of a typical "Road Runner" cartoon, ludicrous situations and dialogue, kinky sex (though the filmmakers shy away from showing anything truly(!) sexy, thus protecting the film's "R" rating) and one-dimensional characters.
Despite being surrounded with an overrated Matt Dillon, a pitiful Denise Richards, and perhaps washed-up(although still effective) Kevin Bacon, Neve and Bill both put in quality performances.This movie is definitely worth the rent...if you're of the male gender..
There are certain movies, like Wild Things, Body Heat and others, that just revel in pure sexuality, not of just nubile young bodies, but the sexiness of mystery and deceit and suspense and conspiracy and swampy locales.Anyone can find sexy actors and throw them up on screen and let them writhe around.
I liked "Wild Things" (1998) when I saw it first time - the tricks and turns of the plot were interesting to keep me entertained for two hours even after the words "The End" because they kept explaining the movie after it was over.
A high school guidance counselor (Matt Dillon) is accused of rape by 2 of his students (Denise Richards & Neve Campbell)...
The twist are silly but may do you if you want something trashy while the sexy stuff is pretty well done  but does feel like the film is exploiting it's audience by delivering nudity to cover the plot holes.
Now my friend Eric Wilson, long-time subscriber to "Sight & Sound", accomplished scholar specializing in 19th century German idealism, resident of Shady Avenue and sometime Loyola intramural cycling champion, Eric tells me you can see Kevin Bacon's "schlong" if you freeze-frame through the comely, yet over-hyped threesome scene featuring Neve Campbell and Denise Richards.
WILD THINGS (1998) *** Matt Dillon, Kevin Bacon, Neve Campbell, Denise Richards, Theresa Russell, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Jeff East, Carrie Snodgrass, Robert Wagner, Bill Murray.
Scintillating neo-noir flick with the soul of an overheated soap opera with hunky high school guidance counselor Dillon accused of rape by student tag team vixens Campbell and Richards with some hairpin turns and corkscrew plotting devices that make overall a guilty pleasure to watch the vipers turn on each other (and a naughty glimpse of a topless and often wet Richards  Yeah Baby!!) Murray is in fine form as the much needed comic relief in Stephen Peter's nasty screenplay.
That way the audience doesn't feel like everything it should have known about the plot happened before the film took up the story of the characters.
It's not immediately obvious what Wild Things is going to be about, as the first twenty minutes serve only in setting the scene and from that base, the film could easily turn into any teenage school flick.
The plot twists were pretty good at first, but I lost track after the first six, the next twelve or so had me begging for the damn movie to end.
'Wild Things' is a different type of film for a different type of audience.It's a twisty-turny thriller where you can't really say too much about the plot without giving away important information that is best left kept secret until you actually watch it.
Matt Dillon, Kevin Bacon, Neve Campbell are all great, but, for me, the stand-out performances come from Denise Richards and Bill Murray.
I can tell you though she shines here (and I'm not just talking 'visually!') and even gets what I would say is the best line of the film – something about 'taking the car,' but you'll have to watch the film to see the context she uses it in.If you're not offended by plenty of sex in a film and you like your films with more plot twists in than a filmic corkscrew, then give Wild Things a go.
Wild things: A movie for frustrated nerds who don't care about a good plot.The director only did his best to make the actors look as good as possible.
and with stars such as Denise Richards and Neve Campbell, "Wild Things" was the offer we couldn't refuse.Watching it again at almost twice the age I was the first time, I'm surprised by how much I enjoyed it.
Still, if the plot is utterly ridiculous, it's intense, sensual and perfectly executed.There is Matt Dillon as Sam Lombardo the high school counselor and the rich, sexy, spoiled and manipulative Denise Richards as Kelly Van Ryan, daughter of Theresa Russell, who waves at Sam from the balcony wearing an open gown and a bikini...
In the opposite end of the spectrum, there's Neve Campbell as Suzie Toller, the trailer trash punk whose establishing moment consists on leaving a conference about sex crimes when Sam had just introduced Ray and his partner (Daphne Rubin Vega).It's interesting that the first scene introduces every single player of the game, and the only hint it leaves will be useless by the time the plot starts with its pivotal point: an accusation of rape.
This film could be described as a memorable erotic thriller, and I should say that is Matt Dillon's best performance yet, His character: Sam Lombardo, it's a twisted, pervert and it has style.
The Jeffrey Kimball cinematography is pure, detailed and natural, the night scenes are great too, but is the score that makes Wild Things a true five stars movie.
Fortunately, I was very wrong: Although the film has many of the so-called "teenage movie" elements, it is actually what we should call a film-noire, and a good one in fact.The story involves two beatiful young girls, rich and spoiled Kelly (Richards), and weirdo and freaky Suzie (Campbell).
So numerous in fact, that every now and then the viewer has to alter his perception of what he/she thought had been happenning up to that point: Actually, some plot hints are even given after the "The End" screen, as we are shown additional explanatory shots between the credits!The acting is generally satisfactory, with the first-league actors (Bacon and Murray) definitely standing well ahead of the rest; Rubin-Vega is also very good in her role, while Dillon is simply OK.
The two young female protagonists (Richards and Cambell), while not bad in their acting at all, get the prime attention for their hot and promiscuous looks...The scenery is also good, with the glades and the swamps giving a special color to the film.In brief, "Wild Things" wins you, and the prime reason for this, is its clever plot.
Neve and Denise go at it in the pool,but why show Kevin Bacon nude in the shower?I lost my erection for 3 days.Beware of this scene and turn your head.You'll thank me later!!!The story has so many turns that the sexiness is nearly lost and Bill Murray looks like an idiot and way out of place in this movie..
Matt Dillon is a good looking boy but he absolutely cant convince as playing Mr Evil, Denise Richards (remember her rol in Starship Troopers) is like some barbiedoll who can better be located in some yuppiecomedies with Alicia Silverstone and Bill Murray is just laughable as an advocate.
However the film is far too short to include quite as many plot 'twists' as it does, and in the end it becomes a confusing mess with several unlikely and, frankly, unbelievable turns of events.If the script was sharper, the editing and directing less rushed and more stylish then this film could have done much better.The cast list is impressive, with Kevin Bacon and Neve Campbell in particular giving strong performances.
This movie is a very sexy thriller with twists and turns you where you look.The plot is a young high school teacher is accused of raping a beautiful young student.
This movie will keep you guessing until the last second!!It stars today's hottest stars Denise Richards,Neve Campbell, Matt Dillon, Kevin Bacon and Robert Wagner.
Good performances, especially from Richards and Campbell, and the mixture of sex, suspense, comedy, and the plot that is as twisted as a country back road makes "Wild Things" worth watching again and again.
Let's be honest: the only reason why men watch this movie is because Denise Richards and Neve Campbell are in it.
Wild Things is about Kelly Van Ryan (Denise Richards), a rich snob, who accuses the school guidance counselor, Sam Lombardo (Matt Dillon) of raping her.
So far so good, but then the movie starts to twist and turn so often that it makes it very hard to keep understanding what is actually happening.
The rich Denise Richards and the very poor Neve Campbell each accuse high school teacher Matt Dillon of rape, but there is something that is not quite right.
I will admit, yes, this is primarily what cause me to rent the film besides my interest in all three main actors= Neve Campbell, Denise Richards, and Matt Dillon.
Wild Things, or How To Put Too Many Plot Twists Into a Movie.
Plot twists are usually a good thing to have in thrillers, but when they come in such ridiculous amounts as in this movie it becomes really painful.Things start out promising, though.
Absolutely fantastic in every sense of the words.Sexy, devious and crafty all at the same time.Rich girl Kelly Van Ryan (Denise Richards) and outcast Suzie (Neve Campbell) accuse Sam Lombardo (matt Dillon) of rape.But Detective Ray Duquette (Kevin Bacon) is hot on their trail as he sets out to reveal the truth in the accusations of Susie and Kelly being raped.The investigation leads to court where it is made clear by Dillon's attorney (Bill Murray) that the case lacks any real evidence to convict Dillon to prosecutor Robert Wagner's despair.
It was cruising along, doing it's thing, when it comes to a scene with Denise Richards, Neve Campbell and Matt Dillon all in bed together.
It's so twisted, that you sometimes have a hard time on who to root for.Sam Lombardo (The incredibly oily Matt Dillon)is a guidance counselor that gets caught up in a scandal involving 2 students (Denise Richards and Neve Campbell),who accuses him of rape.
The course that the story takes from this point on is full of twists and double-crosses that keep on coming until the movie eventually ends with the most surprising development of them all.The characters in "Wild Things" include the very rich and the very poor as well as people who are employed in the legal profession, education and law enforcement.