After police discover the body of a serial killer’s young victim, cop Miki (Lior Ashkenaz) determines to find the culprit. Suspecting school-teacher Dror (Rotem Keinan), he is frustrated by the lack of evidence enabling a conviction. Dubious salvation arrives in the form of Gidi (Tzahi Grad), the father of one of the killer’s casualties. Kidnapping Dror and Miki, Gidi dispenses his own brand of justice. Locked in a room until a confession is extracted, the odd trio discover how far each is willing to go in order to discover the truth.
Directed and written by Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado, Big Bad Wolves offers many surprises. It’s a very black comedy/thriller from Israel about a hunt for a paedophile. The strong subject and style shouldn’t really work but the fact that it does is a credit to the cast and writing. It doesn’t shy away from the many ugly aspects of the hunt, with grief, anger, brutality and vengeance graphically shown. The men have their own agenda with the results emerging in unexpected ways.
The many plot twists are enlivened by the fine cast. Whilst you may not necessarily agree with their actions, due to the performances you understand where their characters are coming from. They enable the tension to rise to a crescendo as rage and desperation intertwine. The script wisely has a small cast of characters allowing the viewer to be quickly drawn into the tight story. The myriad of questions it raises such as the price of justice and the dark side of human nature also maintains interest.
Big Bad Wolves is a more than apt title. Populated by people who may not appear what they seem, it’s an intriguing puzzle worthy of investigation for any budding sleuths.
Reviewed by Patrick Moore
Rating out of 10: 7
Big Bad Wolves will be released on DVD, Blu-ray and Digital copy on 21 May 2014
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