Big Bad Wolves

BBW deserves a 7 out of 10 and I would have rated it higher if the screen writer would have made a somewhat greater effort to avoid what I considered a disappointing ending to the film that just came out flat. There is some very good acting between the three main characters as well as by the supporting cast. Continual suspense is maintained and the film is sprinkled throughout with a bit of dark humour to allow the audience not to take the film too seriously.

The film does not rely on extensive blood and gore neither by the serial killer Dror, or by his own captors and tormentors, Gidi and Micki. I was quite impressed with how the suspense was maintained all the way through the film as well as a few slick twists and turns such as when Gidi's father arrives at the cottage and discovers what his son Gidi has been up to.

The trick I believe to delivering a great film is to have the audience feeling good about how the film ends such that we would like to see a sequel, or leaving us with the desire to view the film a second time. In this case, I found the films closing scenes were a big let down mainly because the rest of the film was so suspenseful and entertaining. Upon leaving the film what a screen writer really does not want to hear is the audience saying "well that was a dumb ending wasn't it?"

This is a high rising film which came up flat at the end. I rated the film a 7 out of 10.

So Quentin Tarantino had this one on his top ten flicks of 2013. I don't know why I thought this was going to be a horror movie, maybe it was because of the tittle, but it does have some frighting elements in it.

Three men from three different walks of life, all of which are bad fathers. The movie centers around one bad father whose child is raped and murdered supposedly by one of the other bad fathers, and when the cops, lead by another bad father, failed to bring this man to justice even by any means necessary, he takes matters into his own hands.

It was a well crafted psychological thriller about what a father would do to seek vengeance for the crimes committed against their children based upon his own guilt of not being there for them. The movie was very low key and had the viewer use their imagination for a lot of what could have been the horror parts.

What surprised me most was how this slow film was such a roller coaster ride as they keep the viewers trying to figure out if the protagonist was doing the right thing to the right man to get vengeance.

Tarantino was right about this one.

It sounds like a comedy, and certainly, the way the movie plays undermines the seriousness of the subject, (no spoilers here!) but that is okay, because not always do things have to be so gritty, dark and brutal.

In a way, "Big Bad Wolves" is the antithesis of "Prisoners" (2013), and this is not a bad thing, because "Big Bad Wolves" does not toy with our emotions, anger or despair, but with our curiosity, with our doubts, all the way to the final scene that fades into the elegance of irony and what we already knew.

The acting and the atmosphere creates what I crave most in a film, and this is: unpredictability; who really did it?, why?, where? These questions became irrelevant, because we are just in it for the ride that provides a good movie like this.

Though Quentin Tarantino might have been exaggerating the movie a bit by calling it the best movie of 2013, it would probably land somewhere in the top 15. The movie has both violence & gore, but what really hits home is the psychological terror and the mystery of the identity of the killer. The slow details of the murder cases really clash with the motives of those involved and really makes you take a side with who you think is right and wrong. Though the movie doesn't reinvent the serial killer genre, but it does stand tall with its amazing cinematography and black humor. One of the better torture porns of recent memory (though not terribly graphic). Its on Netflix and certainly worth a watch!

Full Review at: http://www.simplefilmreviews.com/2014/05/big-bad-wolves-2013.html

Always a pleasure reviewing an Israeli film, especially one that can be considered as an attempt to qualify for the "horror" genre as has been defined by Hollywood for around two decades now. While avoiding any criticism towards the genre as it is known today, I can sincerely say I'm proud to have another Israeli film so well known, and being a devout Horror - that I'm very glad Israel has joined the list of countries making worthy Horror films.

Now for the film itself... I can't help but feeling disappointed, for a number of reasons: 1. The first reason would probably be irrelevant for anyone not familiar with Israel's film industry, and yet I must point out that using Lior Ashkenazi (a famous excellent actor) for the character of an irresponsible uneducated stereotypical Israeli police officer simply didn't feel right. Ashkenazi is as charismatic as he is talented, and his screen presence is undeniable. Seeing him making the stupid mistakes forced upon him by the script was almost painful.

2. Immediately relating to the previous reason, the film used one of the horrible "cheats" that have become the bane and doom of many Horror films, Slasher/Serial Killer films in particular. Due to my oath to avoid spoilers, I am unable to describe the cheat, but suffice to say you'll know it when you see it. It joins the infamous list of killer being faster then a sprinting victim, a car running out of gas / car keys falling due to stress and fear / cellphone having no signal and such unreasonable annoying causes of death, making the audience join hands together in an epic group face palm.

3. Like many other Israeli films, this one has been stained by the puzzling need to make a socio-political statement. Be it regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or the gender discrimination problem (both described thoroughly in Israeli websites dealing with cinema reviews) - I personally find these to be redundant and plain stupid. This is a professional Horror film, not one about women's rights and equality or the contemporary political state. It has no room for such things, which do very little at most to serve the plot or the message (at least what the message should be).

4. While falling into line with Hollywood is good for the Israeli cinema's status, it made the film lose the "Israeli" uniqueness the fans have seen and loved for decades. The comic bits do little to return it. Israel's cinema is known for having its own rules and goals, and the past decade or so has brought us very little films still loyal to this tradition.

However, I still find some very glowing spots of light in the film, making it very worthwhile and recommended. The acting by the trio of main characters is absolutely exquisite. Each plays his role beautifully. I was especially impressed with Tzahi Grad as the mourning father and Rotem Keinan as the prime suspect. Whether it's the tone of voice, or the body language, or the looks on their faces in each scene - the acting is by far the best aspect of the film. The story, on the other hand, lacked, and lacked much. The effect of similar plots like Saw and The Tortured and such is way too obvious. That wouldn't have taken anything away from the story, had it been in anyway at all original, which it simply isn't. I personally couldn't guess the ending, but only due to too much credit given to the writers. I honestly have never expected them to use such a banal anticlimactic closure-less catharsis lacking ending.

All in all, I can't say I didn't enjoy the film. The suspense is nerve- wrecking and the acting is, as mentioned, profound. Therefore, regardless to the relatively low rate I've given it, I urge you to give it a chance. No, it won't be the best film you'll have seen this year, not even the best horror film, probably not even the best Israeli film. Yet it remains a film worth watching, showing Israel's progress towards the cinematic conventions of the 21st century.