Is there more to Wild Things than the trash? Sure, but not much more: Frankly, it's the trash that holds the film together. The plot is so convoluted that it practically nullifies itself. Matt Dillon stars as a high-school guidance counselor in the ritzy resort town of Blue Bay. His easy rapport with students takes a bad turn when he's accused of rape by both an heiress's daughter (Richards) and a delinquent swamp rat (Neve Campbell). Dillon's shady lawyer (Bill Murray) wins an acquittal, but two suspicious cops (Kevin Bacon and Daphne Rubin-Vega) won't let the case rest, especially after Dillon wins a healthy settlement against Richards and her slutty mom, Russell.

Thus begins a series of double-crosses that a lesser director would render incomprehensible. Luckily, Wild Things is helmed by John McNaughton, who's famed for Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (though he should be just as celebrated for Mad Dog and Glory and Normal Life). McNaughton's strength is his willingness to let the camera linger on faces long after the dialogue and music have faded from the soundtrack, implying that there's more to the story than mere words can convey. Among Richards' pout, Campbell's spiteful glares, and Murray's sleepy, hangdog expressions, McNaughton has wonderful faces to work with. The best scene in the movie has Bacon and Dillon cheerfully sizing each other up on a sailboat, trying to determine which of them has the stones to kill the other.

Of course, provocative close-ups can only carry a movie so far. There's really not more to the story than mere words can convey--although McNaughton does get some mileage out of the idea that his protagonists are driven by a desperate lust for the money that fills the air around them like so much humidity. Still, this is a well-constructed piece of pulp, and McNaughton keeps us guessing, even through the closing credits, over exactly which two principals will end up in the clear and in the money. (Trust me, you'll never guess.) In the meantime, the director dazzles the viewer with sex, scenery, and recurring shots of the Florida wildlife--which understands more about what's going on than the thrill-seeking audience.