Movies

Review of “Wild Side”

Wild Side (1995) is a kinky little straight-to-video film that flew under the radar upon its initial release. In fact, it’s one of those early career oddities that fans search out once a star has made it big. I suspect I’m not the only one who picked up a copy of it when Anne Heche and Ellen DeGeneres made their big splash as a couple back in 1997.

With its promotional photo of Heche and Joan Chen in a near-naked clinch and a tagline proclaiming, “Going Too Far was Just the Beginning,” how bad could it be?

Not too bad, as it turns out. The film is a perfect outlet for the sexy/wacky vibe that has always been Heche’s specialty (upcoming Hallmark television movie excluded), and she’s in good company with fellow oddball Christopher Walken and enigmatic Joan Chen.

If you’re willing to endure (or skip altogether) a harrowing rape scene that happens early in the film, you’ll be in for a loopy, erotic treat when Heche and Chen finally meet.

Anne Heche plays Alex, a Long Beach investment banker whose boss is pressuring her to get frisky with her rich clients in order to get their business. She’s irritated but not irate at his suggestion. As it turns out, it takes a lot to ruffle Alex when it comes to sex because she moonlights as a high-class call girl. One of her clients is charismatic millionaire Bruno Buckingham (Walken), who likes to talk about his illegal business practices during their sexcapades.

Bruno is regularly untied after his bondage sessions with Alex by his sleazy driver Tony (Steven Bauer). He worries that Alex might be an undercover FBI agent and sends Tony to test her – if she’s a cop, she won’t have sex with Tony. At Alex’s apartment, Tony reveals that he is the undercover cop in question, and he rapes her. As far as Tony is concerned, Alex is “shark bait” for busting Bruno. Tony forces Alex to do official business with Bruno by helping one of his people open a fake bank account for money-laundering purposes.

It’s Virginia Chow (Joan Chen) who comes to open the account, claiming it’s for her shoe company (specializing in fetish footwear, naturally).

Alex is immediately charmed by flirty, gorgeous Virginia and the two are soon out the door for a liquid lunch. They exchange war stories about love over martinis, and the sexual tension between them escalates. Alex admits, “I’ve never fallen into, out of, for or against, or anything to do with love. Sex, I can tell you about. But then we’ve only just met.” Virginia whispers, “Then why don’t you?”

They head back to the office and make a beeline for the executive powder room. Inconsequential chit chat about fashion turns into a full-fledged seduction and Alex surprises herself by pouncing on Virginia. “I’ve never done that before…” Alex rambles, but then she does it again, and again.

Cut to Alex’s seaside bedroom for a long, steamy sex scene. Later Alex learns that Virginia was the person sent to the bank by Bruno (she’s his girlfriend), a fact that will seriously complicate their budding affair.

Bruno wants to cut Alex in on his big business deal (even comically referencing Pretty Woman in the offer), and hopes to replace Virginia with her. But Alex is falling in love with Virginia and devises her own plan to rescue her from Bruno and bankroll their new life together by stealing his money.

What follows is a lot of door slamming, gun brandishing and even a suicide attempt. In all the chaos, Alex manages to con both Bruno and Tony, turning their machismo and self-centeredness against them. Stay tuned for the completely unhinged scene in which Bruno tries to get some Old Testament-style revenge for Alex when he learns that Tony has raped her.

At times the film is hard to follow, with unnecessarily complicated twists and conversations that circle without ever landing. But the film is never unwatchable. If anything, it’s a highly stylized showcase for Heche and Walken to play dueling weirdos – a game that is infinitely entertaining.

I can’t help but wonder if the writer/director’s original vision of this film was a different animal entirely.

Donald Cammell (Performance, Demon Seed, White Of The Eye) and his editor were fired from the film before editing was completed, and Cammell’s name was removed from the initial release altogether. Cammell was rumored to have been so distraught over the studio’s butchery of his film (in the name of commercial appeal) that he fell into a deep depression, eventually leading to his suicide in 1996.

There are no less than three different versions of the film available (if not hard to get) worldwide, evidence of its convoluted history. Fortunately, one of those versions is a reconstructed director’s cut, re-edited after Cammell’s death by one of his associates.

The re-cut has received rave critical reviews, so it’s worth watching if you can find a copy (unfortunately, it’s only available in Region 2).

Perhaps Cammell’s original intention was to create an arty psychosexual thriller, not the eccentric shriek-fest which the film, at times, becomes. The Last Seduction (1994) did it better, but then there were no lesbian sex scenes for studios to excise in that film.

Ultimately, the lesbian love affair in Wild Side is the only relationship in the film based in mutual desire, or with any depth. In that sense, it’s a very pro-gay film. And if you’re a fan of any of the principal players, you’ll probably enjoy it.

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