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H D - S E N S E I

A view on Blu-ray by Gary W. Tooze

Big Bad Wolves aka 'Mi mefahed mezeev hara' [Blu-ray]

 

(Aharon Keshales, Navot Papushado, 2013)

 

 

Review by Gary Tooze

 

Production:

Theatrical: United Channel Movies

Video: Magnolia Home Entertainment / 101 Films

 

Disc:

Region: FREE!  / 'B'  (as verified by the Oppo Blu-ray player)

Runtime: 1:49:43.577  / 1:49:51.541

Disc Size: 44,694,193,044 bytes  / 32,389,347,450 bytes

Feature Size: 36,498,493,440 bytes  / 25,040,474,112 bytes

Video Bitrate: 33.99 Mbps  / 24.98 Mbps

Chapters: 12  / 8

Case: Standard Blu-ray case  / UK thick case

Release date: April 22nd, 2014  / August 19th, 2019

 

Video (both):

Aspect ratio: 2.35:1

Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps

Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Audio:

DTS-HD Master Audio Hebrew 3990 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3990 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit / DN -5dB)
DUB: DTS-HD Master Audio English 3806 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3806 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)

 

DTS-HD Master Audio Hebrew 2068 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 2068 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit)
LPCM Audio Hebrew 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit

 

Subtitles:

English (SDH), English (Narrative), English, French, Spanish, none

 

English (burned-in)

 

Extras:

Making of Big Bad Wolves (16:17 in Hebrew with English subtitles - 1080P)

• AXS TV: A Look at Big Bad Wolves (2:57)

• Theatrical trailer (1:43)

• Previews from Magnolia

 

Last Night at the Empire: Big Bad Wolves at FrightFest (NEW) (24:01)
AXS TV: A Look at Big Bad Wolves (02:57)
Theatrical trailer (02:21

 

Bitrate:

1) Magnolia - Region FREE - Blu-ray TOP

2) 101 Films - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 

Description: A series of brutal murders puts the lives of three men on a collision course: the father of the latest victim now out for revenge, a vigilante police detective operating outside the boundaries of law, and the main suspect in the killings - a religious studies teacher arrested and released due to a police blunder.

***

The vengeful father of a young murder victim, a rogue police detective, and a religious teacher who's become the prime suspect in a brutal series of killings are drawn into a conflict that threatens to turn tragic as authorities race to capture an elusive killer.

 

 

The Film:

A foul tale foully told, the Israeli horror flick “Big Bad Wolves” begins on a dreamy, once-upon-a-time note with three children playing hide-and-seek. As a boy counts down, two girls, one dressed in red and the other in blue, enter a derelict building. One stays, the other leaves; one dies; the other, well, who knows, much less cares, what happens to her? Certainly not the writers and directors, Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado, for whom murdered children are just an easy, conveniently blunt and effectively faceless (and headless) means to a self-satisfied, jokey and blood-slicked end.

In other words, 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 extra ick. 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 of no exit amid Jewish mother jokes, some noshing and one character’s — after taking a blowtorch to another man’s chest — sniffing the air and wistfully reminiscing about barbecue.

Excerpt from the NY Times located HERE

Aharon Keshales and Avot Papushado’s debut feature Rabies — an escalation-of-disasters shaggy-dog tale with a Coenesque vibe — marked out the Israeli writer-directors as talents to watch. That promise is more than fulfilled in their second film, which manages a tricky balance of horror and black comedy. Its premise echoes other movies, including the recent Prisoners, but Big Bad Wolves takes a fresh approach. The War On Terror subtext has a deeper, darker meaning in an Israeli context, where the filmmakers suggest everyone has learned torture techniques during military service.

Excerpt from Empire Online located HERE

Image :    NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

Big Bad Wolves was shot on digital (Arri Alexa) and looks quite 'digitized' on Blu-ray from Magnolia via a dual-layered disc with max'ed out bitrate. The image quality has all the clarity and crispness we've come to expect from this HD production format with the usual thickness and minor smearing effects in-motion. Colors seem bright and true and contrast had no flaring instances looking very adept in the darker basement scenes. Daylight scenes are more impressive but nothing is overly dark and there was no noise. This Blu-ray exports the film's video probably about as well as it did theatrically. It is a pristinely clean, flat, less-textured presentation that supports the film adequately in-motion.

 

This new release of "Big Bad Wolves" comes to us from 101 Films and is the UK Blu-ray premiere. The film is housed on a dual-layered Blu-ray and features a modest bitrate. The only difference when compared to the previous Region 'Free' Blu-ray from Magnet is that this transfer seems to be a tad brighter, which results in some skintones looking a little more washed out, though this is only noticeable when directly comparing the two. This is a fine transfer, though it has hardcoded subtitles without the option of removing them, which I suppose could be a dealbreaker for some.

 

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

1) Magnolia - Region FREE - Blu-ray TOP

2) 101 Films - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 

1) Magnolia - Region FREE - Blu-ray TOP

2) 101 Films - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 

1) Magnolia - Region FREE - Blu-ray TOP

2) 101 Films - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 

1) Magnolia - Region FREE - Blu-ray TOP

2) 101 Films - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Audio :

Audio is the Blu-ray's strongest suit, IMO. We get a powerful DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround at a resounding 3990 kbps in original Henrew and a similarly robust, but superfluous, English DUB. Effects are crisp but I was most taken with Haim Frank Ilfman's intense score that reminded me of Herrmann (strings). It's beautiful work supporting the film's darker moments building brooding drama and suspense. It sounds extremely effective via the lossless. There are optional subtitles and my Oppo has identified it as being a region 'A'-locked.

 

The film now gets a similar DTS-HD Master audio track in 5.1 surround, though only 16-bit (as opposed to Magnolia's 24-bit track). Also included here is a 2.0 linear PCM uncompressed stereo track, which is a fine choice if you do not have a surround set-up. As mentioned above, the film features hardcoded subtitles that are unable to be removed. This is a Region 'B' Blu-ray from 101 films in the UK.

 

Extras :

Magnolia offer a 16-minute HD 'Making of Big Bad Wolves' piece in Hebrew with English subtitles. It has the principals discussing the production - and offers some insight into the film's evolution. There is also a brief AXS TV: A Look at Big Bad Wolves advert running less than 3-minutes, a trailer and some Magnolia Previews.

 

Just like on the Magnolia Blu-ray, we get the AXS TV promo fluff, as well as the theatrical trailer. What IS new is the 24-minute "Last Night at the Empire: Big Bad Wolves at FrightFest", a sharply-produced mix of interviews with the filmmakers and festival organizers, as well as footage from the festival. Featured in this piece are; Mitch Harrod, Ian Rattray, Paul McEvoy, Navot Papushado, Aharon Keshales and Alan Jones.

 

Magnolia - Region FREE - Blu-ray

 

 

101 Films - Region 'B' - Blu-ray

 

 

BOTTOM LINE:
I found Big Bad Wolves an odd, compelling but essentially hollow film experience. Yes, the much-talked about violence is gruesome but that didn't deter me. I did appreciate the intensity but the unusual, enigmatic, black comedic sequences left me puzzled. They seemed out of place and incongruous to me (perhaps their point?). The mix of realistic torture (sometimes centering on children) and humor was, certainly... unusual if not distasteful. I think it is a bold attempt - and for that I credit the filmmakers. The Blu-ray is solid offering a stellar way to view the film. I don't think I'll give a full recommendation here - I probably need to see it again to fully appreciate the finer points - but those keen to see the Big Bad Wolves in the comfort of their Home Theatres can rest assured the Blu-ray is the way to go. 

 

"Big Bad Wolves" is still quite a thrilling and gritty take on the revenge thriller. If you can handle the violence, there is a lot of nuance and humor just below the surface. Highly recommend checking this film out for the right crowd.

Gary Tooze

April 12th, 2014

Colin Zavitz

August 17th, 2019

 

About the Reviewer: Hello, fellow Beavers! I have been interested in film since I viewed a Chaplin festival on PBS when I was around 9 years old. I credit DVD with expanding my horizons to fill an almost ravenous desire to seek out new film experiences. I currently own approximately 9500 DVDs and have reviewed over 5000 myself. I appreciate my discussion Listserv for furthering my film education and inspiring me to continue running DVDBeaver. Plus a healthy thanks to those who donate and use our Amazon links.

Although I never wanted to become one of those guys who focused 'too much' on image and sound quality - I find HD is swiftly pushing me in that direction.

Gary's Home Theatre:

60-Inch Class (59.58” Diagonal) 1080p Pioneer KURO Plasma Flat Panel HDTV PDP6020-FD

Oppo Digital BDP-83 Universal Region FREE Blu-ray/SACD Player
Momitsu - BDP-899 Region FREE Blu-ray player
Marantz SA8001 Super Audio CD Player
Marantz SR7002 THX Select2 Surround Receiver
Tannoy DC6-T (fronts) + Energy (centre, rear, subwoofer) speakers (5.1)

APC AV 1.5 kVA H Type Power Conditioner 120V

Gary W. Tooze

 

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