‘Big Bad Wolf’: This revenge isn’t served on a cold plate

In May 2014, Filmax released ‘Big Bad Wolves’, the Israeli phenomenon that had conquered Quentin Tarantino himself and that a year earlier they had directed the tandem of filmmakers formed by Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado, one of the few figures of genre cinema in the Middle Eastern country, whose industry continues to be more focused on dramatic and social cinema. Ten years later comes its Spanish remake, ‘Lobo feroz’with which the Uruguayan Gustavo Hernández tries to give a twist to a proposal that was originally risky and daring.

“Big Bad Wolves” merged the fates of three men; that of a cop with the soul of a vigilante; a father eager for revenge for the murder of his young daughter and the prime suspect, accused of not only being a dangerous pedophile, but also a serial killer of girls. They were joined by the father of the father of the alleged last victim, being a genre production which, however, has hit other sticks related to the constant feeling of danger that the Israeli population experiencesthe conflict between Israel and the West Bank, as well as an acid portrait of how the police operate.

Thus, a Spanish adaptation seemed complicated, given that the social reality is very different. Hernández, who has experience in genre cinema with films such as ‘The silent house’ or ‘No dormirás’, accepts the challenge of taking the story to another reality. The thing is, ‘Big Bad Wolves’ had a problem in itself, which was the difficult balance between terror, thriller, social drama and black humor. With references, in addition to the aforementioned Tarantino, to other filmmakers such as Vinterberg or Haneke (with ‘The Hunt’ or ‘Funny Games’ as prime examples), the original film ends up turning revenge into a Macguffin, seeing that anger turn into a dangerous sadism typical of a psychopath which, moreover, served to strip away the primary instinct of its protagonists.

So it took a director with enough personality to tell his story… something that doesn’t happen with Hernández. Furthermore, one could say that the tone of the tape is totally false, especially in the moments of black humor. The director, who directs a screenplay written by Juan Manuel Fodde Roma and Conchi del Río, configures a much less nuanced story, which loses all respect to the criticism of the police actionas well as the motivations that push the police officer to do it alone.

A decaffeinated version that stands out for its cast

But, beyond that, the plot is too simplified, especially in the final act (which was also the original film’s Achilles heel). Added to this is that his comic moments are more forced, mainly because he gives the impression that they have been trampled on, causing the opposite effect to what it should. What should be a perverted take on the Little Red Riding Hood story ends up being a watered down version of the Israeli film.

Sure, There is one point that prevents him from saving furniture for ‘Big Bad Wolf’ and that is his cast. The idea of ​​one of the dire wolves becoming a woman gives him another perspective that also completely changes his background, as he ceases to be a retired military man to become a mentally challenged young woman with a lurid past. It is she who attracts the most attention in this adaptation and it is thanks to her the magnificent interpretation of Adriana Ugarte, who displays a radically different acting range from the one she is used to teaching.

Ugarte is not alone, well He is accompanied by a splendid Antonio Dechent, always brilliant. Mention also goes to Javier Gutiérrez, with a role in which he knows how to move like a fish in water, just like Rubén Ochandiano. Another change that tape wins with is with the introduction of another female lead, played by Juana Acostawhich gives another dimension to a character who was much flatter in the original version.

It’s Its Cast That Elevates ‘Big Bad Wolf’a version that, although it knows how to maintain the constant moral conflict that will cause an uncomfortable debate between the viewer and the plot, ends up being a decaffeinated version of what ‘Big Bad Wolves’ (and that this was already slipping in terms of black humor). Sure, it’s fun enough to enjoy it as the first Spanish production of 2023 to hit theaters.

Note: 6

The best: Its cast, especially Adriana Ugarte.

Worse: The feeling that everything is forced and that this proposal needed a director with more personality.