Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
When teen-socialite Kelly Van Ryan and troubled bad girl Suzie Toller accuse guidance counselor Sam Lombardo of rape, he's suspended by the school, rejected by the town, and fighting to get his life back. One cop suspects conspiracy, but nothing is what it seems...
Wild Things is a gleefully audacious erotic thriller that earns genuine high marks for its plot and ending. The screenplay is a masterclass in nested double-crosses — each apparent resolution peels back to reveal another layer of conspiracy, executed with genuine craft rather than cheap gotcha twists. The ending (and post-credits stingers) deliver a satisfying, darkly comic payoff that rewards attentive viewers. Novelty is high because the film occupies a singular tonal space: campy yet genuinely clever, exploitative yet structurally sophisticated — a one-of-a-kind artifact of late-90s genre filmmaking that no other film quite replicates. Acting is competent with Bacon and Richards delivering solid work, but Dillon is uneven and Richards is more presence than performance. Cinematography captures the sweaty, sun-drenched Florida atmosphere effectively but isn't visually distinctive enough to rate above average.