Generally favorable reviews - based on 24 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 24
  2. Negative: 1 out of 24
  1. Reviewed by: Frank Scheck
    Dec 10, 2013
  2. Reviewed by: Kim Newman
    Dec 10, 2013
    Even if you think you've seen this story too often, Big Bad Wolves will surprise and enthrall. A thriller which bites deep, it has a light touch which finds humanity even in the worst horrors.
  3. Reviewed by: Drew Taylor
    Dec 10, 2013
    It’s bold, beautifully told, and surprisingly funny.
  4. Reviewed by: William Goss
    Jan 15, 2014
    A masterfully queasy blend of dark humor and darker humanity.
User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 18 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. Jul 2, 2014
    I am giving it a ten as I am sick of pretentious critics who repeatedly state, "What is the point?"..."I kept waiting for the message" and so forth.... listen Westerners of endless pretentiousness (I am a westerner too)... just get a grip and stop thinking that every film-maker has to 'teach' us something when you basically state what you know what that statement will be if they make a statement, but obviously you think you are smarter than us so we need to be hammered with it.
    American cinema may have to 'have a message' (even if this comes in every movie including the Transformers movies, Scary Movies, and all the other dull as mud sh** the USA produce) but the rest of us are informed, educated and worldly, at least comparatively, so we already know most 'messages', we just want to watch a fu**ing movie and have our intelligence respected. Messages for the sake of them, as part of some formula, are superfluous and condescending.... that is not the good aspect of most American film-making, it is the weakest. Movies need only be entertaining and/or engrossing..... not educational. Critics... if you were masters of film-making and thought outside the box, you'd be fu**ing making these movies right? And making them properly since you know everything, right? Funny that is not the case though - for any of you.
    Full Review »
  2. Jun 7, 2014
    Directing duo Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado's second feature "Big Bad Wolves" is their follow-up to the darkly comic "Rabies" (2011). Once again they attempt to create a genre-savvy thriller that blurs the lines between horror and political satire. Papushado's and Keshales bloody tale does a fine job mounting the tension, however the movie never fully clicks as a gritty revenge thriller or as a dark comedy. In regards to Quentin Tarantino's full-throttled endorsement of "Big Bad Wolves" as the year's best film is an absolutely ridiculous claim that sells his own work short.

    There's a serial killer loose, and he's raping, torturing and decapitating girls, whose heads he then hides, mainly, it seems, to give this otherwise generic setup some needed flair. As the police futilely chase clues, a motley triangle emerges: a suspended cop, Micki (Lior Ashkenazi); a religious teacher, Dror (Rotem Keinan); and a mourning father, Gidi (Tzahi Grad). In time, the three converge in an isolated cabin that turns into a chamber of horrors as they play a psychological game to extract the location of the missing head from our killer.

    "Big Bad Wolves" begs to be read as a metaphor, and the directors are taking dead aim here: Israel's own ugly history of torture and its ramifications. But their point soon wears itself out, and what remains is merely cheap shocks and an increasingly tiresome sense of black humor that neutralizes its attempt to increasing intensity.The film fails to deliver by suffering from irregular tonal shifts, a paper-thin story line, and a lethargic second act that stumbles into an incredibly underwhelming conclusion.

    "Wolves" is a well made film beautifully shot in widescreen and technically impressive. It has its moments of wit with humor, and on occasion, it does get its desired effect. However there is just not nearly enough of it. "Big Bad Wolves" huffs and it puffs, but it doesn't blow the house down.
    Full Review »
  3. Apr 28, 2014
    Magnificent film to see with your family
    Magnificent film to see with your family
    Magnificent film to see with your family
    Magnificent film
    to see with your family
    Magnificent film to see with your family
    Magnificent film to see with your family
    Full Review »