--- title: "Wild Tales: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/wild-tales/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/wild-tales" critics_score: 79 critics_reviews: 15 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Wild Tales (2014): what the critics said Critics' score 79 from 15 reviews: 14 positive, 0 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics find Wild Tales a sharply entertaining black comedy anthology, with praise centred on the writing and the escalation of everyday grievances into outrageous revenge. The reviews repeatedly single out the opening aeroplane story and the road-rage episode for making violence both funny and unsettling, while the wedding story also attracts considerable enthusiasm. Strong performances, confident visual staging and a consistent dark humour help connect the six stories, and many critics find substance in their treatment of class, bureaucracy and social frustration. The main reservation is unevenness: several reviews find individual episodes overextended or less effective, even when the collection remains enjoyable. The Wrap dissents from that qualification, finding no weak links, while The New Yorker takes a sharply opposing view, judging the plotting mechanical and the moralising simplistic. The consensus is firmly favourable, but the disagreement extends beyond which stories work to whether the social satire has much depth. ## Empire — Damon Wise Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 23 February 2015. This Oscar-nominated feature is a blast of black comedy inspired by modern pressures and escalating human extremes. It singles out the uproarious opening plane segment and the anarchic wedding climax while noting some uneven middle stories. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/wild-tales-review/) ## Slant Magazine — Chuck Bowen Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 13 February 2015. The energetic anthology excels at exposing dehumanization beneath social institutions through its vignettes, with exhilarating narrative invention and one visceral masterpiece segment on class frustrations. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/wild-tales/) ## The Independent — Geoffrey Macnab Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 26 March 2015. The film is a raucously entertaining collection of six revenge stories that mixes cartoonish excess with relatable everyday frustrations. It singles out the liberating thrill of characters transgressing social norms through violence and chaos. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/wild-tales-film-review-damian-szifron-presents-six-anarchic-tales-of-the-unexpected-10137195.html) ## Evening Standard — Demetrios Matheou Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 27 March 2015. Szifron has fashioned six payback stories with visual flair and a wicked sense of humour that tap into a universal desire for cathartic revenge. It singles out the escalating wedding finale and Ricardo Darín’s demolition-expert segment as highlights. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/wild-tales-film-review-10138308.html) ## Time Out — Geoff Andrew Rating 4/5. 22 May 2014. An engaging if uneven satire with universal black humour and a knack for outrageous excess grounded in perverse logic. The strongest episodes highlight road rage and political corruption with brilliant casting and wit. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/wild-tales) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 20 February 2015. The film delivers scarily entertaining revenge stories in six flavors that transform civilized people into destructive forces, with strong segments highlighting cathartic mayhem and social commentary. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2015/02/wild-tales-review.html) ## The AV Club — A.A. Dowd Rating B. 19 February 2015. The anthology is generally inconsistent with hits and misses among its revenge vignettes but maintains an even tone and social dimension rooted in class conflict and bureaucracy. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/an-oscar-nominated-anthology-offers-6-darkly-comic-wild-1798182790) ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 12 February 2015. The six sketch-like variations on anger and revenge feature clever twists that are the point, but the moralizing is facile and the plotting mechanical. Szifron’s theatrics and simplistic attitudes seem borrowed from television commercials. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/wild-tales-2) ## Film Comment — Jonathan Romney 1 January 2015. The critic praises the film's slick, entertaining vignettes of revenge and human savagery, highlighting the sharp airplane opening and noting its universal appeal despite some pacing issues in individual stories. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/damian-szifron-wild-tales-review/) ## IndieWire — Eric Kohn 16 May 2014. Festival review. The review calls the film a brilliant social satire with subversive energy drawn from its revenge-themed vignettes and Almodóvar connection. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/cannes-review-pedro-almodovar-produced-wild-tales-is-a-brilliant-social-satire-26614/) ## Los Angeles Times — Charles Solomon 30 October 2014. Festival review. The anthology is weighed down by clunky filmmaking and heavy-handed direction that fails to make the revenge vignettes compelling. Characters behave so rudely there is little reason to care what happens to them. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-wild-tales-movie-review-20141031-story.html) ## Screen Daily 17 May 2014. Festival review. A brilliantly conceived and confidently delivered one-man portmanteau of innovative, scathing social comedy that is gleefully imaginative and very funny in parts, though some later segments struggle for air. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/wild-tales/5071980.article) ## Sight and Sound — Mar Diestro-Dópido 27 March 2015. The film is a funny, dark, hugely enjoyable black comedy anthology where everyday frustrations escalate into absurd, violent consequences. It stands out for its pitch-black humour, razor-sharp irony and coherent exuberance as a whole. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/film-week-wild-tales) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw 26 March 2015. The critic hails the film as a lethally sharp, scabrous collection of revenge tales from Argentina that pulses with cynicism and ill-temper. He singles out the airplane story and the road-rage sequence for their funny-yet-scary execution and praises the overall high success rate of the portmanteau. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/mar/26/wild-tales-relatos-salvajes-review) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney 16 May 2014. Festival review. The critic finds the anthology a riotously funny and cathartic response to contemporary frustrations, with strong off-kilter humor, stylish visuals, and bold music in its best segments. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/wild-tales-relatos-salvajes-cannes-705074/) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis 19 February 2015. The critic finds the anthology high-spirited and often unsettlingly funny in its look at human behavior pushed to extremes. The best stories are executed with stripped-down narrative skill that makes moral hand-wringing seem beside the point. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/20/movies/review-wild-tales-explores-the-blurred-limits-of-morality.html) ## The Times — Wendy Ide 27 March 2015. The review calls the Oscar-nominated Argentinian anthology riotously entertaining and exhilaratingly funny, a cathartic portrait of society with its veneer of civilisation peeled back to reveal impotent fury. It highlights the memorable wedding story and the explosive road-rage climax. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/wild-tales-qsgb2hb3js3) ## Variety 17 May 2014. Festival review. The wickedly delightful compendium of six standalone shorts united by vengeance explodes in spectacular bursts after put-upon souls are screwed over too many times. While not all episodes are equally successful, overall enjoyment rarely flags. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/cannes-film-review-wild-tales-1201184260/) ## Eye for Film — Amber Wilkinson Rating 5/5. 3 October 2014. Festival review. Szifron's six darkly comic shorts deliver ferociously funny revenge stories with tight writing, memorable performances and inventive staging that keeps the energy high throughout. The director's Roald Dahl-like unpredictability and focus on humour over horror make it a standout. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/wild-tales-2014-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 20 February 2015. The critic praises the film as an exceptionally skillful anthology of dark, hilarious vignettes with no weak links. Szifrón is singled out for his sharp storytelling and pitch-black humor reminiscent of Almodóvar. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/wild-tales-review-damian-szifron-pedro-almodovar-academy-award-nominee/) ## HeyUGuys — Stefan Pape Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 19 October 2014. Festival review. The anthology delivers consistent dark comedy through six tales of everyday frustrations boiling over into revenge and chaos. It stands out for its uniform tone, strong cast and hilariously relatable comeuppance themes. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/wild-tales-review/) ## Paste — Tom Meek Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 20 February 2015. The critic finds the anthology delivers punch and panache through six disparate stories laced with biting social commentary on Argentine class and justice. The opening airplane vignette and road-rage segment stand out for their outrageous yet believable escalation. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/article/wild-tales) ## The Skinny — David McGinty Rating 4/5. 20 February 2015. Festival review. The review calls the portmanteau of revenge tales hilarious, unnerving and horrifying, praising its wit, cruelty and storytelling as a feat of narrative cinema that resonates with universal frustrations. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/festivals/uk-festivals/film/wild-tales-galsgow-film-festival) ## The Playlist — The Playlist Staff Rating B. 18 February 2015. The portmanteau of revenge-themed stories shows real talent and fresh energy but suffers from inconsistent quality and some segments that drag, preventing it from being fully cohesive. Strong performances and cinematic craft mark Szifron as a filmmaker to watch. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/review-impressive-oscar-nominee-wild-tales-makes-director-damian-szifron-one-to-watch-20150218/) ## Consequence — Justin Gerber Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 30 January 2015. Festival review. Wild Tales is called the definition of a crowd-pleaser, breezy and surprising with strong humor, violence, and standout performances especially from Érica Rivas. It earns a place among strong Oscar nominees despite not every segment hitting equally hard. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2015/01/sundance-film-review-wild-tales/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/wild-tales.md