WARNING: At a time
when violence in films is under increased scrutiny, perhaps a warning is
appropriate for these two films — Wild
Things and Bound. We’ve go an
abundance of sex and violence.
A second warning should be sounded for Wild Things — not for sex and violence — but to alert viewers to
not give up on it before they catch on.
The film begins as some sort of slick, adolescent comedy, a Mean Girls kind of movie. It isn’t.
What you think is happening isn’t.
What you figured out is actually happening isn’t. It’s not what you
think. And you need to watch the entire
film, including the credits because when the film appears to end, it hasn’t.
Matt Dillon plays
a guidance counsel, accused of rape by two young girls — Neve Campbell and Denise
Richards. Police sex crimes investigator Kevin Bacon wants to nail Dillon.
And Bill Murray, a sleazy
lawyer, is tapped to defend the accused.
There is actually more sex than violence in this one. And the only one
who keeps his clothes on is Murray. Wild
Thing was directed by John
McNaughton (Henry: Portrait of a
Serial Killer) and released in 1998.
If you think that the sex between Neve Campbell and Denise
Richards is torrid, then you must hide your eyes when Gina Gershon and Jennifer
Tilly get into bed. There are those
who mistakenly categorize this as a lesbian film as if that would be the
primary audience. It is that, but it is
more than that. It is a major crime
thriller as well.
Tilly’s character is desperate to get away from her gangster
boyfriend, but has always depended on the support of men she didn’t love to
survive in the fashion she had become accustomed to, feigning empty-headedness
and enduring some abuse and humiliation as the price she had to pay. But she’s tired of it. When she meets a very butch, gorgeous,
independent, and tough Gina Gershon, all hell breaks loose. Joe Pantoliano is exactly right as the
boyfriend, who is about to be swindled out of $2 million dollars by the new
lovers and who will, therefore, be on the hit list of the mob to whom the money
belongs. Of course, it’s not as easy as
all that.
The supporting cast is stellar, including Law & Order’s Christopher Meloni as the son of a mafia boss. Bound
was the first full-length feature by Andy
and Lana Wachowski, who also
directed Matrix, V for Vendetta and Cloud
Atlas. It was released in 1996 to
shock and acclaim.
Bound would rank
pretty high on my list of all-time crime films.
And these two are perfect for small-screeen, stay-at-home night. And if you aren’t driving then a few bourbon
on the rocks for the sensuous and suspenseful evening are appropriate.
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