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Wild Side

R 1995 1h 30m Mystery & Thriller List
60% Tomatometer 5 Reviews 47% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
When bank executive Alex Lee (Anne Heche) turns to prostitution in order to make ends meet, she becomes a high-class call girl for criminal clientele like notorious money launderer Bruno Buckingham (Christopher Walken). But, after she's framed by an undercover agent working as Bruno's chauffeur, Alex is forced to help the FBI bring Bruno to justice. Backed into a corner with no way out, Alex decides to make a run for it with Bruno's wife, Virginia (Joan Chen), with whom she's fallen in love.

Critics Reviews

View All (5) Critics Reviews
BBC.com Rated: 3/5 Apr 25, 2001 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Awkwardly executed erotic thriller, that thrives on its kinkiness and absurdity. Rated: B- Aug 12, 2013 Full Review Leo Goldsmith Not Coming to a Theater Near You Wild Side has a definite point to make with its sex scenes: the characters rarely sleep with each other without a definite narratological or psychological purpose. Feb 13, 2007 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 2/5 Aug 28, 2005 Full Review Christopher Null Filmcritic.com Rated: 2/5 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (27) audience reviews
Susan M Terrific film. Christopher Walken at his eccentric best. Played with quirky and engaging range of emotion. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/21/23 Full Review Audience Member strictly for watching anne heche and joan chen get it on. this was some bizarre shit alright (that was funny in parts) but darn, it was worth sitting through the bizarre shit. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Audience Member Somewhat of a suspense film, but it comes down to two things that make this watchable: Walken being batshit crazy and a lesbian sex scene that is off the charts hot. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Audience Member I know Donald Cammell from Performance, but even given the problems he had with the post-production of this film, and his suicide afterwards, there is not much good to be said about what is left from the process. The high-priced milieu demands to be more beautifully filmed. the scene between Heche and Chen is justly famous, but doesn't really integrate with the film Walken and Bauer are in.The happy ending where Chen and Heche run off together doesn't seem entirely earned. The rapes are gratuit;ous, and the film is about money without seeming to know anything about banks and how they work. To be watched only by fans of the actors or for fans of soft porn. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member An awesome nightmare of a film, difficult to find in it's originally intended cut (see Tartan Films release for both versions) but thankfully restored with loving posthumous respect by Hamish McAlpine and friends. Cammell's madcap freewheeling story of promiscuity, manipulation and seedy double crosses is a triumph in every way. Grotesque, violent, sexual and outrageous, Wild Side is pure unadulterated filth. And it's awesome. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Audience Member I watched the director's cut of this from the PAL import, and it holds up pretty well as a hilariously extreme, horndog take on themes that Cammell explored better elsewhere, (Performance, White of the Eye). There is a lot of nonsensical gender play, which allows for a beautifully shot lesbian encounter between Chen and Heche - as well as some nutsy Walken reasoning behind his threatened Bauer buggery. Knowing the story behind this film's mis-editing may inflate its importance, but seeing the more intact cut is still quite fun. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Wild Side

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis When bank executive Alex Lee (Anne Heche) turns to prostitution in order to make ends meet, she becomes a high-class call girl for criminal clientele like notorious money launderer Bruno Buckingham (Christopher Walken). But, after she's framed by an undercover agent working as Bruno's chauffeur, Alex is forced to help the FBI bring Bruno to justice. Backed into a corner with no way out, Alex decides to make a run for it with Bruno's wife, Virginia (Joan Chen), with whom she's fallen in love.
Director
Donald Cammell
Producer
Elie Samaha
Rating
R
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (DVD)
Aug 21, 2007
Runtime
1h 30m
Sound Mix
Stereo