BIG BAD WOLVES - TRIBECA REVIEW
BY MATEO MORENO AND MATTHEW CODY LANG
MATTHEW CODY LANG
After the horrific murder of a young girl, a rogue cop follows a small lead and takes matters into his own hands but he's not he only one. The father of the victim has his own ideas on justice and revenge. The suspect is the victim's teacher who was apparently seen with her around the time of the disappearance but no one is really sure if he is involved or not. The film leaves you questioning until the very end.
BIG BAD WOLVES is a fun ride and shot beautifully. I really enjoyed most of this film until it began teetering on the edge of an Eli Roth film where it eventually lost my interest. There should be a fine balance between goofy and gore. The film has a hefty sum of laughs but as it begins to get serious, it is difficult to take it as such. When a third person comes to assist in the torturing of the suspect, I checked out. The justification was not given and it all became a bad joke to which I didn't care to know the punchline. By the end, I was disappointed more than anything. Also, if I have to hear Buddy Holly's song "Everyday" in another movie montage where it doesn't belong, I will walk out of the theater. This film is not a complete MISS though. I did have a good time watching it and I know many others will as well.
MATEO MORENO
Filmed with spectacular cinematography (courtesy of Giora Bejach), Big Bad Wolves is a pure bloody, diabolically charged fun horror film from Israel. The opening sequence itself is worthy of praise, as it’s one of the most unique and captivating sequences I’ve seen in a while. Lior Ashkenazi does great work here as a detective who does as many good things as he does bad things. His version of an interrogation is beating them senseless. He’s on a case of a murdered and missing girl, determined to find the killer. When a cell phone video of one of his “interrogations” goes viral, he’s put on leave but continues to investigate a case of a missing girl and follows his suspect around. However, the murdered girl’s father (Tzachi Grad) bent on revenge takes them both by surprise and the film then twists and turns into some very dark places.
Ashkenazi and his co-star Grad are both powerful forces on the screen. The movies excels in several original ways, one being that the story doesn’t have one bad guy, it has several, and some of them are also the good guys as well. It’s an intriguing concept that delivers on all fronts. Humor is sprinkled in throughout the film, which adds a much needed levity to the dark proceedings. The twists and turns of the film all weave in and out effortlessly, and unlike my fellow reviewer, I appreciated and liked the Buddy Holly song which plays against a very different kind of visual. The torture scenes are intense, and will have the squeamish surely looking away, but they add another supremely interesting question: Through torture, do we get the actual truth, or a truth by default due to the captive simply wanting it all to stop? Big Bad Wolves is an artfully shot, high octane thriller that just might take your breath away.
MATTHEW CODY LANG'S VERDICT: A SOLID CHOICE
MATEO MORENO'S VERDICT: A MUST SEE
Written and Directed by Aharon Keshales, Navot Papushado Starring Lior Ashkenazi, Tzachi Grad, Rotem Keinan, Dov Glickman, Menashe Noy, Dvir Benedek Country Israel Content Disclaimer (Adult Situation, Adult Language, Graphic Violence) For ticket and screening information: http://tribecafilm.com/festival/tickets
BOTTOM LINE: While the two critics both enjoyed the film, one believes it's a fun film with an ending that doesn't deliver. The other was enthralled from beginning to end, especially with the amazing visuals. A can't miss and a should see, either way.