„Wild in the Country may not be Elvis Presley's best film, but it's arguably his most serious – as well as the film that most tested his acting ability. […] the mixture of Odets and Presley doesn't combine productively. […] the result has too much Odets to work as a Presley vehicle and too much Elvis to be the serious ‚issue‘ picture that it tries to be. Neither fish nor fowl, Wild is ultimately unsatisfying, but it does have some strengths. […] Indeed, the last portion of the film becomes unbearably melodramatic and never recovers.“ Vgl. allmovie.com
