Review of Wild Tales (2014) by James O — 16 Apr 2015

"Wild Tales" is a montage of six individual short stories, all set in Argentina, with the common theme of "revenge". The first, and shortest, of the tales, takes place in the cabin of a commercial jetliner. It begins benignly enough, but by the time it reaches its "holy crap" resolution, the tone is set for the rest of the film.

The stories are both violent and darkly funny, starting with believable situations and extending them bit by bit into absurdity. My favorite is about a man who believes his car was unfairly towed. Another features a jealous bride. A third involves a serious case of road rage.

The road rage story reminds me of a recurring "Family Guy" sketch in which Peter has long, drawn-out death matches with a giant chicken. And like the chicken-fight sketches, though I was somewhat amused by the over-the-top escalation of violence, I was also more than ready for it to end before it actually did. That's part of the beauty of the film's short story format. Just when you start to tire of one bit, it's on to the next.

Despite all of the violence, it's interesting to note that none of the characters ever uses a gun. People are stabbed, poisoned, strangled, hit on the head with blunt objects, and flung into mirrors. Fire extinguishers are used to bludgeon, blind, and break glass. There are several big explosions. But not a single bullet is ever fired.

Most of the characters in this film are in uncomfortable situations, and watching them made ME feel uncomfortable also. This is entertainment at its squirmiest. And though it's not always easy to watch, I feel like I definitely got my money's worth.