Roger Avery's adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' dark and controversial novel about a group of amoral, and wealthy, East Coast college students. Sean (James Van der Beek) lusts after the unapproachable Lauren (Shannyn Sossaman); Lauren is seeing Victor (Kip Pardue), a handsome and egotistical ladies' man; Victor is also secretly seeing Lauren's room-mate Lara (Jessica Biel); Lauren's ex, Paul (Ian Somerhalder), has become smitten by Sean; and affable Rupert (Clifton Collins Jr) has become the campus drug dealer, readily supplying his classmates with cocaine. Soon their lives move into a more serious gear as Sean finds himself dealing drugs in order to pay debts and encouraging Paul to become one of his customers.

It is pre-Revolution France. The Marquise de Merteuil (Glenn Close) and the Vicomte de Valmot (John Malkovich) are decadent members of the Paris aristocracy. The Marquise challenges the Vicomte to conquer young Cecile (Uma Thurman), the wife-to-be of an old friend. However, the perverse Vicomte prefers to work upon the seduction of Madame de Tourvel (Michelle Pfeiffer), a married and moral young aquaintance. The sexual and social repercussions of the seduction has disastrous effects. The film won Oscars for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design.