Wild Things

Details

Suzie Toller and Kelly Van Ryan both have their sights set on one of their high school teachers, the handsome and popular Sam Lombardo. The girls seem prepared to do almost anything to gain his attention - including enthusiastically helping him wash his car, resulting in a rather memorable combination of water and wet T-shirts.

When Kelly's advances are rejected she makes a shocking accusation, claiming Lombardo assaulted her. The police are not entirely convinced by the story, but the allegation is serious enough for Lombardo to be suspended while an investigation takes place. With his career and reputation hanging in the balance he turns to attorney Ken Bowden, one of the few lawyers willing to challenge the powerful and wealthy Van Ryan family.

At this point it would be criminal to reveal much more about the story. Suffice it to say that what initially appears to be a straightforward scandal quickly spirals into a labyrinth of manipulation, deception and double-crosses. With money, murder and betrayal piling up at every turn, the film delights in constantly pulling the rug from under the audience.

Picture & Sound

A decent film - and a Region 2 disc that promised so much - has unfortunately been badly handled by Entertainment in Video. The disc only includes a Pro-Logic soundtrack and a miserly twelve chapter stops. The picture, although reasonably bright, is grainy, suffers from noticeable artifacts and only just manages to look better than VHS quality. Frankly it is a scandalous transfer and one that the distributor should be ashamed of.

Thankfully a far superior version exists. The Australian Region 4 release features a proper Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack (along with an MPEG track) and a noticeably improved transfer. The 5.1 mix provides much better use of the surround channels, allowing the film's atmospheric score to fill the room far more effectively. The picture is also clearer and more colourful than the Region 2 version, making the difference between the two discs quite dramatic.

Menu & Extras

Even the extras differ between the two versions. The Region 4 packaging lists Interviews, although none actually appear on the disc, while the Region 2 edition does at least include the Making Of featurette which is missing from the Australian release.

Overall

I'm not entirely sure whether this Region 4 edition is identical to the Region 1 release, but one thing is certain - you should definitely avoid the inferior Region 2 version. Unfortunately there is one small catch. Unlike many newer releases, the Region 4 disc is strictly locked to that region, meaning you will need a multi-region player to watch it.

The plot twists arrive thick and fast, particularly during the closing credits, so make sure you do not switch the film off too early.

Wild Things is one of those films that constantly reinvents itself right up until the final moment. It may not be something you'll watch repeatedly for the story alone, but there is one rather famous swimming pool scene that will almost certainly receive more than a few revisits.

Special features

Region Two Edition

• Theatrical Trailer
• Making of Featurette
• Pro-logic Stereo

Region Four Edition

• Theatrical Trailer
• Biographies
• 5.1 Dolby Digital/MPEG