Something Wild

Charlie Driggs, a conventional New York City investment banker, leaves a greasy spoon diner without paying. A flamboyantly dressed woman calling herself Lulu confronts him and offers a ride downtown. He climbs into her car as she heads toward New Jersey, tossing his beeper out of the moving vehicle.

During the trip, Lulu drinks openly while driving and makes a stop to buy more alcohol. Unbeknownst to Charlie, she uses the journey to rob a liquor store. He phones his office, unaware of her illegal crime.

Inside a roadside motel, Lulu handcuffs Charlie to the bed and orchestrates an intimate encounter with him while phoning his boss and forcing him into a difficult conversation. Charlie pretends to call his wife, only to learn that his marriage ended nine months earlier. The dynamic reveals Lulu's control over him.

After sharing a meal at an Italian restaurant, Charlie realizes he cannot pay with the little cash left. Lulu leaves him with the check, prompting him to flee the restaurant to avoid confrontation with the angry chef. The incident deepens his dependence on Lulu and anchors him in her world for the moment.

The next morning they awaken to a police officer and tow truck by the car Lulu drove off an embankment into a signpost. Lulu abandons the damaged car and buys a different one from a sleazy used car dealer. Charlie starts to wonder where she got the money.

Despite the danger, Charlie begins to enjoy Lulu's free-wheeling lifestyle. He realises he is falling in love with her, drawn to the thrill she provides. The relationship shifts from manipulation to genuine attraction.

Lulu admits that her real name is Audrey and introduces Charlie as her husband to her mother, Peaches, at a Pennsylvania home. Audrey appears as a demure blonde after removing her brunette wig. The revelation marks a shift from deception to personal family ties.

Audrey takes Charlie to her high school reunion where a former classmate recognizes him as a coworker. Audrey's violent ex-convict husband, Ray Sinclair, also appears and makes clear that he wants her back. The tension sets up an imminent confrontation.

Ray, taking Audrey and Charlie along, robs a convenience store and pistol-whips a clerk. Charlie suffers a broken nose in the chaos. They drive to a cheap motel after the crime.

Ray warns Charlie to stay away from Audrey, but Charlie secretly tails the pair. He confronts Ray in a Virginia restaurant with police nearby, threatening to reveal Ray's parole violations unless Audrey can leave with him. Ray's dilemma is resolved when a shop girl who knows him saves him from the stand-off.

Charlie takes Audrey to his Stony Brook, Long Island home. Ray hurls a patio chair through the sliding glass door, beats Charlie, and handcuffs him to the pipes under the bathroom sink before attacking Audrey. Charlie frees himself, strangles Ray with the handcuffs, and Ray dies when he impales himself on the knife Charlie is holding. Audrey is taken away for questioning.

Charlie quits his job and searches for Audrey, only to learn she has moved. The ending hints at renewed pursuit of their relationship, with the couple still entangled in a tumultuous dynamic.

Outside the diner where Charlie first met Audrey, a waitress accuses him of leaving without paying. Audrey suddenly appears with the cash he left on the table. She invites Charlie back into her life and drives away with him in her woodie station wagon.