Wild Side
1998
Anne Heche stars as Alex Lee, a loan officer who works as a high-class call girl by night, in this erotic thriller. When Alex is unwittingly caught up in a sting operation by the police, she is forced to agree to help catch a notorious underworld boss named Bruno (Walken) who had hired her one evening. Bruno, smitten by Alex's .. Read more
| Starring | Christopher Walken, Joan Chen, Steven Bauer, Anne Heche |
|---|---|
| Director | Donald Cammell |
| Genres | Drama |
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Wild Side
Anne Heche stars as Alex Lee, a loan officer who works as a high-class call girl by night, in this erotic thriller. When Alex is unwittingly caught up in a sting operation by the police, she is forced to agree to help catch a notorious underworld boss named Bruno (Walken) who had hired her one evening. Bruno, smitten by Alex's domination of him, becomes fixated, but sends out his bodyguard, Tony, to make sure she's not a cop. However, Alex also meets and begins a passionate relationship with Virginia (Chen), Bruno's wife. Soon, all four of them are embroiled in a complex relationship that threatens to destroy them all. Featuring a bizarre and bravura turn by Christopher Walken and excellent performances from Anne Heche and Joan Chen, director Donald Cammell (PERFORMANCE) has crafted a highly stylized modern noir that trumps just about every other film that fits that description.
| Starring | Christopher Walken, Joan Chen, Steven Bauer, Anne Heche, Allen Garfield, Richard Palmer |
|---|---|
| Director | Donald Cammell |
| Studio | PALISADES TARTAN |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 51 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | English |
| Released | DVD: 20 Nov 2000 Production year: 1998 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (2)
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Oblique, melodramatic tale of homoerotic intrigue and betrayal among crazed individuals, in which normality never intrudes; Walken gives one of his notably eccentric, over-the-edge performances.
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Twenty minutes longer than the 1995 version released on video in the US, this arrives restored to the late Donald... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful member's review
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9 out of 10 people found this review helpful
Flawed, frustrating, occasionally brilliant thriller
When 'Wild Side' was cut to pieces by a confused and panicky studio, the film's distraught director Donald Cammell committed suicide. Now restored to something like Cammell's original vision 'Wild Side' is an unsatisfying film which only fitfully springs into life.
Christopher Walken gives arguably his most over the top performance to date as Bruno, a perverse money launderer. His involvement with a prostitute(Anne Heche) leads to plenty of double-crossing and sexual obsession as the stakes for both characters are raised. Meanwhile Bruno's wife(Joan Chen) and chauffeur(Steven Bauer) are also making plans for Bruno.
This is a real mixed bag of a film. Seemingly improvised, too many scenes are non-sequitors and the plot(such as it is) has a tendency to ramble. Such deficiencies are partly redeemed by the cast. Walken goes off the scale as Bruno, waving his bizarre hair and screaming wildly, his performance would unbalance the film were it not for the other three actors on show. Heche is especially good as the banker who works nights as a prostitute to make ends meet, giving an understated and seductive performance. Chen and Bauer are fine in supporting roles.
Disjointed and uninvolving, 'Wild Side' is not exactly a fitting epitaph for Cammell's career. However it remains strangely compelling throughout and offers enough moments of brilliance to overcome it's faults. -
Most recent members' review
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9 out of 10 people found this review helpful
Flawed, frustrating, occasionally brilliant thriller
When 'Wild Side' was cut to pieces by a confused and panicky studio, the film's distraught director Donald Cammell committed suicide. Now restored to something like Cammell's original vision 'Wild Side' is an unsatisfying film which only fitfully springs into life.
Christopher Walken gives arguably his most over the top performance to date as Bruno, a perverse money launderer. His involvement with a prostitute(Anne Heche) leads to plenty of double-crossing and sexual obsession as the stakes for both characters are raised. Meanwhile Bruno's wife(Joan Chen) and chauffeur(Steven Bauer) are also making plans for Bruno.
This is a real mixed bag of a film. Seemingly improvised, too many scenes are non-sequitors and the plot(such as it is) has a tendency to ramble. Such deficiencies are partly redeemed by the cast. Walken goes off the scale as Bruno, waving his bizarre hair and screaming wildly, his performance would unbalance the film were it not for the other three actors on show. Heche is especially good as the banker who works nights as a prostitute to make ends meet, giving an understated and seductive performance. Chen and Bauer are fine in supporting roles.
Disjointed and uninvolving, 'Wild Side' is not exactly a fitting epitaph for Cammell's career. However it remains strangely compelling throughout and offers enough moments of brilliance to overcome it's faults. -
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