Although the hour or so of torture that follows features some adroit plot twists, "Big Bad Wolves" is one of those movies in which certain storytelling lapses are bound to frustrate more logical-minded viewers. Unless I missed something, we're never told why the police came to suspect Dror in the first place, and his tormentors don't mention any evidence in their unavailing efforts to force a confession from him. If, as we're told, the murderer sexually violated every orifice of his victims, wouldn't DNA evidence provide irrefutable proof of Dror's guilt or innocence? Have the Israeli police never heard of forensics?
And then there's the wasted potential of the tale's political possibilities. In the film's press notes its directors, Navot Papushado and Aharon Kashales, say that it "draws inspiration from the society in which we live. Existential anxiety serves as Israel's foundation and attempts to define and reinforce the legitimacy of the state: a fear of terrorist activities, primarily kidnappings, unremitting feelings of being persecuted, inherent intolerance and macho behavior topped with a historical craving for vengeance create an ideal breeding ground for extreme actions and subsequent reactions."