In 1990 director Zalman King, then known primarily for his
screenplay of 9 1/2 Weeks, unleashed the graphic erotic film
Wild Orchid on theaters; it bombed. In it's theatrical run
it only grossed a disappointing 11 million, but director King has continued to make "erotic" dramas.

Wild Orchid concerns prim midwestern lawyer Emily, who is hired on the spot for a huge New York law firm. She and her
boss, Claudia, travel to Rio to close a big deal. Claudia
leaves on important business leaving Emily to go out on a
date with the mysterious Wheeler, who likes to play erotic
and kinky head games. He takes Emily on an erotic journey
of the senses but accidently falls hard for his prey.

Highly controversial upon release due to it's sexual content
and nudity, time has unfortunately dulled it's edge somewhat. The original cut of Wild Orchid received an "X"
rating from the MPAA; the producers trimmed some explicit
sex and the film was awarded an "R" rating. But on video
an unrated version containing the graphic sex cut for the
theatrical release was restored, and that would be the best
way to view the film: unadalterated.

In fact, the "Unrated" version plays exactly as the "R" cut
of the film does, that is, until the final scene of the film
which happens to be the sex scene between Mickey Rourke and
Carrie Otis. The "R" rated version showed the beginning of
the scene, continued showing only a few shots of her breasts
and slight sexual movement, a few brief shots of Rourke just
behind Otis groping her, and then the scene ends.

"Wild Orchid's" uncut, "Unrated" version has a much, much
more graphic, nudity filled sex scene. It begins just as
the original "R" rated scene did, but continues to show many
views of Otis' breats, graphic sexual movement between the
two, a few fleeting glimpses of Otis' crotch, and finally,
when Rourke is behind Otis, we see graphic back and forth
movement and more shots of Otis' breasts.

This graphic, unscensored footage doesn't make the film any
better, nor any worse, but it does and some slight curiosity
value to the flick. Yes folks, this was the graphic sex
scene that earned "Wild Orchid" it's original "X" rating,
which is now the equivalent of an "NC-17". Viewing "Wild
Orchid" in 2001, it now seems a tad tame, but is still very
explicit.

Music scores highly as well, with my favorite tune being
Ambitious Lovers "It Only Has to Happen Once"; it is sexy
and adds some sexual intensity. The opening song, which
also happens to accompany a scene where Otis dresses herself
and the final Otis/Rourke sex scene, is sexy and alluring.
Another tune that accompanies a scene where Otis is seduced
by an American businessman and a sex scene in a limo are
well used to maximum advantage.

Carre Otis, although slammed by most critics for her acting
debut as Emily, does a fairly good job. It's a mostly poor
role: Emily prances around nude, engages in kinky sex, and
watches as other characters copulate. Mickey Rourke, as
Wheeler, mumbles his way through the character; you can
barely understand what he is saying. And, as Claudia,
Jacqueline Bissett does a decent job, never taking the film
too seriously.

"Wild Orchid" is, without a sliver of doubt, just a movie to
display numerous sex scenes with copious nudity, mainly done
by Otis. She is ravishing, looks good half naked, and all
the way naked, and I believe has a certain amount of screen
presence and ability. Lets be honest, nobody will be seeing
this movie hoping to expect the next coming of "Godfather"
or even "Friday the 13TH", but it serves it's purpose.

Since the release of "Wild Orchid", Zalman King has gone on
to do nothing of note, other than the lame "Wild Orchid 2",
the awful sequel to this film, and the notorious cable TV
show, "Red Shoe Diaries". His three most famous offerings
to date have been "Wild Orchid", "9 1/2 Weeks", and the 1988
sex/drama "Two Moon Junction". He also directed the highly
explicit "Delta of Venus", the 1995 adaptation of the Anais
Nin sexual short story book. "Wild Orchid" is probably his
most accomplished film.

I know I have made "Wild Orchid" out to be nothing more than
a late night cable nudie flick with limited appeal to a big
audience, but it's fun lies in it's campy atmosphere. Not
one actor, with the exception of Rourke, takes things too
seriously, and the flick is all the better for it. Instead,
watch it as high camp, not good drama, and you'll be able
to enjoy yourself a lot more.

King manages to get in a few sexy, stylish shots throughout
the film's almost 2 HR running time. The limosuine sex
scene is darkly erotic, and very sexy, with it's pulsing
soundtrack and moaning lovers. A scene showing Otis pulling
up her black strap dress is beautiful, and even features her
topless. And long sex sequence between Rourke and Otis is
possibly the sexiest sex scene ever before seen on film.

I know many people will be angry with my judgment of Wild
Orchid, but I liked it. A lot. Although I know it is a
stupid erotic thriller/drama, it proved highly entertaining.
Many of the critics who hated this film have a point: it's
main reason for being is to show nude people simulating sex,
but this one feels like a little more thought than usual went into it. And for that reason alone I think Wild Orchid
ranks slightly higher than poor.

Campy as "Wild Orchid" may be, it is gloriously awful but in
a good way, providing 1 HR 51 MIN (that is the running time
of the "Unrated" version, the only way to see the film) and
contains many shots of nude Carrie Otis involved in kinky,
and very photogenic sex. I recommend "Wild Orchid" to sex
film, namely erotic, film oglers, who crave a smidgen of
plot to go with their camp trash.

Wild Orchid is UNRATED for strong sex scenes and nudity, and
for some violence and language.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age