Thursday, January 31, 2008

Wild Things

An absolutely brilliant piece of cheap trash about a high school guidance counselor accused of rape by two of his students. The actors in "Wild Things" -- Neve Campbell, Denise Richards, and Matt Dillon -- are not known as gifted, but here they're at the top of their game, slumming it in a late-night Skinemax flick that's a flawless exercise in genre. It has the look and feel of a noir thriller from the '40s or '50s, except it's in color and more explicit. I've seen this at least seven times, and every time I appreciate it more, everything from the exquisitely framed cinematography to the tightly wound plot. And I don't think it's a coincidence that Bill Murray is in both films I have described as flawless in this blog. His every action and twitch is in character, and he delivers absolutely hilarious lines so subtly you miss them if you're not paying attention.

2 comments:

The American Idle said...

First!

seefeldt said...

I agree with you about this film. Re Neve Campbell as not known as gifted, please take a fresh look at The Company, which stars Campbell, who also co-wrote and co-produced the film, which by the way was directed by Robert Altman, whose oeuvre you might take a fresh look at, too!