Wild Tales (2015)

Revenge is normally presented as heroic in the movies, but in truth, more often than not it's a dish better not served at all, as is made clear in this delightful collection of comic tales from Argentinian director Damion Szifron. Each one has it's own distinguishing characteristics; but the funniest is the final one, a story of the ultimate wedding from hell. There's nothing too weighty here, but the acting, direction and timing are impeccable throughout, and the stories seem well-grounded in Argentinian society, yet universal at the same time. Great fun!

Six short vignettes on the theme of human despair and revenge, it's utterly brilliant! The road rage scene reminiscent of Duel, the unhinged midnight diner cook, a pilot with epic logistical preparation. Each and every character is superb. Is all Argentinian cinema like this?? Every story is a belter, brilliantly performed, wonderfully written, incredible from the very beginning until the absolute end.

Six Tales of justice served:1) Writer gone mad gives all the people who ruined his life a free plane ticket to hell .2) A waitress and cook plot revenge on an old-time gangster who is responisble for destroying her family3) A Joyrider and a Redneck road rage along the highway hills and an epic showdown ensues at the bottom of the bridge .4) An explosion engineer clashes with the Towing Big Business Industry , getting scammed daily . Losing his family , job , and mind , he takes drastic measures against his adversaries5) A wealthy family son is on the run for a hit-and-run; the father attempts to clean up the mess but it'll cost his $2 mill to pay off his lawyer, prosecutor, the fall-guy ,, and an angry widower thirsty for revenge .6) A lady finds out her husband has cheated on her at her wedding , and she decides to run the reception to the gutter--- Very funny , colorful, cinematic9/10

If you consider the word 'salvajes' in the Spanish language version of this title, "Relatos Salvajes", it closely resembles the word 'savage' in English, doesn't it? That's what came to my mind, as the six unconnected stories in this movie could just as well have been titled "Savage Tales". They are all positioned at some level for a savage outcome, and some of them are ironically hilarious in the execution, especially the wedding story between Romina and Ariel that closes things out.Another common element to be found in the offing is that familiar bugaboo about unintended consequences. The two tales of catastrophic road rage bear that theme out in cataclysmic fashion. The third story about the two drivers escalating into a violent confrontation ending in a fiery finale is so over the top that you wouldn't even consider the investigating sheriff's comment about a crime of passion. But it's there and lends a twisted component to the gruesome tale, one that will double you over with it's demented logic.The hit and run segment was another one of those unintended consequence stories that was visited in the end upon the hapless gardener who thought he was going to come out of it set for life. It's interesting to consider what might have happened to all the other parties involved after this story went black. All those scheming money grubbers were going to wind up with nothing in my interpretation, with their golden goose cooked. But I'm sure they would still try to squeeze Mauricio with his fat bank account. The unbridled greed in the story is enough to make you wince.And what can you say about the wedding story? The way it played out and the way it ended were so diametrically opposed to each other that you can only wind up shaking your head. But I guess that's what made it so viscerally entertaining. My summary quote is a line from the song that played out over the closing of that story, another fitting but ironic tribute to a masterful tale of love gone wrong and traveling full circle.This is the only film I've ever seen from the young Argentinian director Damian Szifron, but if his other output is even half as creative, he's got a huge future ahead. His credits page on IMDb points to primarily TV work, but if "Wild Tales" is any indication, we'll be seeing and hearing a lot more about him in the years to come.