The week’s DVDs begin in Argentina:

DVDs and streaming for June 16 by Boo Allen

This week, we begin in Argentina:

Wild Tales (****)

Damian Szifron wrote and directed this Best Foreign Language Film Oscar nominee from Argentina, one that swept all of that country’s film awards. A rapid series of six short segments plays out, increasing in pace and wildness, with each focusing on a potentially combustible situation. For instance, a man has his car towed away while he hurriedly buys a birthday cake. Elsewhere, another man almost causes a wreck by passing a car on an isolated highway, setting off a tit for tat exchange between the two drivers that ends in mayhem. But the most delicious episode comes when a bride learns on her wedding day that her husband-to-be slept with her best friend. Every man’s, and woman’s, nightmare plays out. The excellent cast consists of the best Argentine talent. Szifron maintains a brisk pace for his well executed production that mixes comedy, drama, pathos, and even action. He conveys the unsettling idea that violence and disappointment are ever present dangers, always liable to pop up unexpectedly.

Rated R, 122 minutes

Extras: the 25 minute “making of” featurette “Wild Shooting: Creating the Film,” and a seven minute Q&A with Damian Szifron at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Kingsman: The Secret Service (***)

Matthew Vaughn co-wrote and frantically directed this non-stop onslaught about a young man, Eggsy (Taron Egerton), plucked from London’s mean streets by a super-smooth secret agent, Harry Hart, codename Galahad (Colin Firth), and turned into a crime-fighting machine against the forces of evil, specifically Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson). Vaughn again delivers a film, like his Kick Ass, filled with action and throwaway wit, even if it sometimes arrives in overly large chunks. The plot winds its way through various international diversions, setting up many action sequences highlighted by colorful characters, fine special effects, and striking costumes and settings.

Rated R, 129 minutes.

Extras: a 10 minute “making of” featurette, a 15 minute look at the origins of the secret service in comic books, the comprehensive 23 minute featurette “Heroes and Rogues,” 11 minutes on Matthew Vaughn in “Style All His Own,” 15 minutes on the film’s guns, gadgets and weapons in “Tools of the Trade,” and 18 minutes on the film’s stunts and action sequences in the segment “Breathtakingly Brutal.”

Run All Night (***)

Liam Neeson just won’t go down in this non-stop action thriller by director Jaume Collet-Serra from a script by Brad Ingelsby. The intrepid Irishman plays Jimmy “The Gravedigger” Conlon, a one-time hit-man fallen on hard times. Only his long-time best friend, and employer, mobster Shawn Maguire (Ed Harris), puts up with him. When Jimmy’s estranged son Mike (Joel Kinnaman) accidentally sees Shawn’s loose cannon son Danny (Boyd Holbrook) murder someone, he, Danny, also tries to kill Mike, only to be put down by the unexpected Jimmy. This sets Jimmy and Shawn off for the film’s remainder, as the two criss-cross New York, accompanied by car chases, foot chases, and constant face-offs. They do, in fact, run all night. Director Collet-Serra delivers a succession of creative shoot-outs: on a rooftop, in a cellar, in a forest. While corrupt cops join Shawn’s army of thugs chasing the Conlons, another hit-man, Andrew Price (Common), also doggedly pursues them. Vincent D’Onofrio plays the police detective who has long chased Conlon, and Nick Nolte briefly appears as Jimmy’s brother Eddie.

Rated R, 114 minutes.

Extras: a “behind-the-scenes” look in the 11 minute “Shoot All Night” segment, six minutes with cast and crew in “Action All Night,” and seven deleted scenes totaling 16 minutes.

Once a Thief (***)

At the time of its 1965 release, the two stars of this capable crime drama, Alain Delon and Ann-Margret, ranked near the top of any list of the world’s Most Beautiful People. And although their handsome appearances here cannot disguise their contrasting acting abilities, the film adequately represents the decently entertaining caper sagas which enjoyed such popularity in the 1950s and 1960s (Gambit, Charade, Big Deal on Madonna Street, Rififi and many more). Former TV director Ralph Nelson works from Zekial Marko’s screenplay from his own novel. Marko also appears briefly as a drug-addled jazz hipster. Delon constantly struggles with his English while playing Eddie Pedak, an ex-con trying to go straight, working in San Francisco and living with his wife (Margret) and their young daughter. Because of their past run-ins, police inspector Vido (Van Heflin) dogs Eddie, thinking he might return to his thieving ways. The situation becomes even dicier when Eddie’s wild card brother Walter (wild card incarnate Jack Palance) arrives and tempts Eddie with the lure of the infamous “one last job.” Director Nelson orchestrates the requisite intricate heist, while allowing for the story’s obvious irony to seep through. Lalo Schifrin’s jazz-heavy score complements Robert Burk’s crisp and glossy black and white cinematography.

Not rated, 106 minutes. This on demand Warner Archive disc holds the rare seven minute featurette, a look at the film’s musical score.

Camp X-Ray (**1/2)

Debut writer-director Peter Sattler depends on two strong lead performances for his prison-camp drama to achieve effectiveness. And, for the most, he succeeds, as Kristen Stewart graduates from her “Twilight” persona in her role as Amy Cole, a limited, inexperienced woman who joins the military and quickly finds herself guarding prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. She struggles through an adjustment, while experiencing hostility from the prisoners and harassment from fellow officers. Eventually, she forms a bond with Ali Amir (Peyman Moaadi), a prisoner for eight years and who just wants to talk to someone, anyone. Their awkward relationship forms the bulk of most of the rest of the film as we learn more about these two. The approach may at times be heavy-handed, and even maudlin, but eventually reaches its common humanity.

Rated R, 117 minutes.

Extras: a “making of” featurette.

And, finally, from this week’s TV arrivals:

Survivor’s Remorse—season one

In the six episodes, on two discs, of this original Starz channel comedy-drama from creator Mike O’Malley, Cam Calloway (Jessie Usher), a young man from a poor background, signs a lucrative first contract to play professional basketball in Atlanta. During his eventful first season, Cam tries to avoid parasites while remaining a caring son to his mother. Also, he performs a few charitable deeds, joins a local church, considers joining a country club, and even reconnects with an old girlfriend. RonReaco Lee plays Reggie Vaughn, Cam’s true friend and one who helps him navigate the tricky terrain.

Not rated, 164 minutes.

Extras: cast interviews.

Also on DVD and streaming: Bravetown, Chappie, Laverne and Shirley—complete series, The Odd Couple—complete series, Welcome to Me, The Wrecking Crew.