Big Bad Wolves (2013)

Directed by: Aharon Keshales, Navot Papushado
Country: Israel

Movie Review: Violent Israeli thriller “Big Bad Wolves” deals with revenge and dared to make fun of a grim story that comes in consequence of the kidnap, rape, and posterior decapitation of a little girl, by a pedophile. The sophomore feature from filmmakers Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado, does nothing more than torturing us along the way with a clumsy revenge plan perpetrated by Gidi, the victim's father, along with Miki, a vigilante cop who had been dismissed from the case. The supposed author of the crimes, a teacher called Dror, nothing could have done against the furious avengers, receiving (almost) the same treatment as his victims. Later, Gidi’s father, in his swaggering posture, will also give his contribution by inflicting pain on the hostage. Considering the sad killing in question, the characters never seemed sincere or real, presenting silly behaviors that were just meant to shock or surprise. Unfortunately this strategy didn’t work, mostly due to a plot that never showed any stroke of genius or cleverness to make me feel connected. I wonder how this film would have been if directed by Tarantino, who praised the film to the point of considering it one of the year’s best. The truth is that aside the strong cinematography by Giora Bejach (“Lebanon”) and the music of Frank Ilfman, both awarded by Israeli academy, “Big Bad Wolves” didn’t offer sufficient arguments to convince, being a whimsical and unnecessary film that runs beyond what it should.