Taking its cues from the sweeping, golden-hued Everglades that accentuate its opening credits, John McNaughton’s Wild Things contains hidden dangers and delights beneath its slick surface. Met with wry disregard or outright disgust by most critics at the time of its release and destined to be forgotten like so many “problematic” relics of the horny 1990s, the film has endured in the cultural consciousness—not just because it fully earns its unshakable reputation as a Skinemax-lite crime farce, but, like an elusive crocodilian drifting through murky depths, it also has a way of getting its teeth in you when you least expect it.
Sam Lombardo (Matt Dillon), a guidance counselor working in the affluent Miami suburb of Blue Bay, finds himself in hot water when he’s accused of rape by Kelly Van Ryan (Denise Richards), a student and child of one of the town’s most influential families. Kelly’s story is given extra credence when Suzie Toller (Neve Campbell), who comes from a poor family living in the Everglades, makes a similar accusation against the man, leading Sam to have to defend himself with the assistance of an unscrupulous lawyer, Ken Bowden (Billy Murray). But the facts of the case don’t add up for detective Ray Duquette (Kevin Bacon), who, along with his partner, Detective Gloria Perez (Daphne Rubin-Vega), seeks to uncover the truth.
Throughout, the film’s dedication to the outlandish twists and turns of the material is unbelievable. Dillon is at his sleazy best, but it’s all about the charismatic young actresses at its center. Richards especially holds aloft the soapy, trope-y, yet devilishly knowing tone that McNaughton aims for—always game, in on the joke, and at her best when she gets to radiate her character’s animal magnetism with a wink and a smirk.
Wild Things is the ultimate ’90s neo-noir not just because it checks off all the necessary boxes (slick visual styling, lurid sex, absurd plotting), but also because it pushes them to such extremes that the film becomes a commentary on the subgenre itself. Everything before the hour mark is just a setup for the double, triple, and quadruple crosses that follow, and the biggest stooge isn’t the one who gets got on screen, but the viewer who foolishly trusts any minute of Wild Things to play by the rules of narrative logic or good taste.
Image/Sound
Arrow presents Wild Things in new 4k transfers of both the theatrical and unrated editions restored from the original negatives with color approved by John McNaughton. Cinematographer Jeffrey L. Kimball’s visuals look like eight-and-a-half-million bucks as the film moves from the state’s sun-dappled swamps to the Van Ryan mansion and seedy trailer parks with perfect color depth and sharpness. The underrated score by George S. Clinton still hits hard in the original uncompressed stereo audio, liberally bathing viewers in a sonic world of sensuous danger with its pounding primeval drums and menacing, stabbing saxophone.
Extras
This release contains a bounty of extras, most notable of which is a new audio commentary featuring McNaughton and producer Steven A. Jones, as well as an archival commentary in which McNaughton is joined by Jones, Kimball, producer Rodney Liber, editor Elena Maganini, and Clinton. In addition, viewers can enjoy new interviews with the director and Denise Richards, a making-of documentary, outtakes, theatrical trailer, and an illustrated collector’s booklet. The booklet features new writing on the film by Anne Bullson and Sean Hogan, the latter of which is particularly fascinating, placing the film in the context of “Florida noir,” stretching from Key Largo all the way through Spring Breakers. The disc comes complete with six double-sided lobby card reproductions, a double-sided fold-out poster, and a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sam Hadley.
Overall
John McNaughton’s sun-soaked neo-noir gets a sensuous update from Arrow Video.
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