The Untamed | Series | Telescope Film
The Untamed

The Untamed (陈情令)

User Rating

In a land dominated by the mighty Wen clan, a young man named Wei Wu Xian strikes up an unconventional friendship with justice-minded Lan Wang Ji. When the duo unexpectedly stumbles across evidence implicating the Wen clan’s chief in a plot to bring mayhem to the inhabitants of their land, Wei Wu Xian and Lan Wang Ji decide to take action.

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What are critics saying?

90

Variety by Aramide Tinubu

Deeply layered and gripping, “Untamed” is a brilliant detective tale anchored by some of our worst human impulses.

88

Newsday by Robert Levin

It's a smart and compelling drama, with some great acting and a real sense of place.

80

The Times by Carol Midgley

Having watched all six episodes, I would never have guessed the outcome or the guilty party. Ultimately, it is a series which transcends, with ease, its central cliché.

80

Wall Street Journal by John Anderson

Despite a title that seems calculated to pitch this six-part drama into the mental dustbin of adjectival crime dramas, “Untamed” is a mystery that this viewer binged with uncharacteristic enthusiasm.

80

TheWrap by Zaki Hasan

“Untamed” sits comfortably within the tradition of prestige cable dramas that prize atmosphere and character over plot mechanics. The show moves at its own pace — slow, sure, and confident — trusting the emotional stakes to do the heavy lifting.

70

Los Angeles Times by Robert Lloyd

If the dialogue often has the flavor of coming off a page rather than out of a character, it gets the job done, and if the characters are essentially static, people don’t change overnight, and consistency is a hallmark of detective fiction. The narrative wisely stays close to Turner and/or Vasquez; there are enough twists and tendrils in the main overlapping plots without running off into less related matters.

70

Boston Globe by Gavia Baker-Whitelaw

If you’re hoping for a sophisticated, unpredictable mystery, it isn’t quite up to par. While Turner’s investigation leads us along a few intriguing twists and turns, the show’s creators seem more interested in exploring Yosemite than telling a story that keeps us guessing. It’s fortunate, then, that the park makes for such a compelling co-lead character, going a long way to balance out the weaker elements of the plot.

68

Paste Magazine by Lacy Baugher

While this is a fairly traditional, largely straightforward crime drama, it still manages to touch upon fairly delicate issues of loss, guilt, and trauma in ways that are both surprising and genuinely affecting.

63

Chicago Tribune by Nina Metz

The series’ premise is better suited to a movie, but at six episodes it doesn’t overstay its welcome.

63

Movie Nation by Roger Moore

Bana is riveting as the lead, DeWitt gives the series the saga the pathos it begs for, Santiago measures up as more than a “Training Day” trainee and Bethel, Trujillo and Neill shine in support...They lift “Untamed” to the level of “a good beach read,” in miniseries form, a trip to Yosemite focused purely on everything that can go wrong there and the people who have to piece together what happened when it does.