Review of Big Bad Wolves (2013) by Prakash K — 27 Jan 2014

Quentin Tarantino called "Big Bad Wolves" the best film of 2013. Was he right? Bold statement considering that 2013 was a great year for Film, but then again, Tarantino is a bold man and is not afraid to speak his mind. So allow me to speak mine.

This film was hella good as Gwen Stefani would say. It's a really solid thriller/dark comedy. In the beginning, I though this was going to be the more violent/slightly altered version of "The Hunt" which also came out in 2013. I'm glad I was wrong as it drastically changes into something else. Not for the faint of heart as the torture sequences will bother some, but if you regularly watch Horror movies, you shouldn't have a problem. Two things that stood out for me were the outstanding score and cinematography. It's great throughout and really gives this film the edge it needs. The dialogue is also sometimes smart and snappy which is probably one of the many reasons that Tarantino loved it so much. However, despite it's neat style, effective torture sequences, solid first act, and a really good ending, unfortunately I found most of this film to be good but not great. That goes for the performances and story mostly. The comedy generally works, but it has times where it completely misses or comes off as a bit hokey in my opinion. That being said, there is a lot of gripping stuff with a few surprises in store. You think you have things figured out, but you're dead wrong.

Overall, I'm not surprised that Tarantino loved this movie so much. It's got a lot of comedy, it's very violent, with heavy genre to it's core and some really good dialogue. However, like it or not but once it got to the torturing part of the movie, I found that things went slightly downhill from the beginning 30 minutes which were excellent. "Big Bad Wolves" will certainly shock some and delight many, just don't go in thinking you are actually about to see something amazing. One of the best films of 2013, but not THE best film of 2013. Still well worth the watch if you wanna watch something a bit twisted and crazy because you know you do!