Wild Tales (2014)

A tow truck is the scariest monster in Wild Tales. Damián Szifron’s anthology is six short stories about regular people pushed past the point of politeness, and each one is a pressure cooker with its own timer. Ricardo Darín’s demolition expert losing a war with the towing office is the crowd favorite, and it’s legit cathartic. A feud between two drivers on an empty highway keeps escalating until it turns into a dark, absurd cartoon. The wedding finale belongs to Érica Rivas, whose bride goes from glowing to unstoppable in one reception, and she’s incredible. The trouble with anthologies is that something has to be the weakest, and here it’s the rich family’s cover-up story, which is colder and slower than the rest and stalls the momentum right before the big closer. It made $31.5 million worldwide on a reported $3.3 to $4.5 million. An 8.6 because five of these six stories are close to perfect. $1,299 says the next time someone tailgates you, you think of this movie and calmly let them pass.

What works: Every story has a killer premise, and Ricardo Darín and Érica Rivas give two of the best comic performances of the decade.

What doesn’t: The rich family’s cover-up segment is colder and slower than the others, and it stalls the film just before the finale.

Who it’s for: Anyone who has ever fantasized about losing it at the DMV, and fans of dark comedy with a mean streak.