Movie Review: ‘Wolves’ | Moviephone
(L to R) Brad Pitt and George Clooney in ‘Wolves’. Photo: Sony Pictures.
Opening in limited theaters on September 20th before arriving on Apple’s TV+ service on September 27th, ‘Wolfs’ is the tech giant’s latest attempt to lure audiences with big names and healthy budgets, albeit seemingly –– given. Week in theaters –– more concerned with buzz (and customers) than box office.
Still, the movie itself packs enough fun to make it a worthwhile endeavor, even if it seems a little too in love with the star wattage of its two central famous faces.
Related Article: John Watts’ George Clooney and Brad Pitt Caper ‘Wolves’ Are Making a Sequel
Will the ‘wolf’ blow you away?
(L to R) Brad Pitt and George Clooney in ‘Wolves’. Photo: Sony Pictures.
Would you like to see George Clooney and Brad Pitt reunite on screen for the first time –– no, not ‘Ocean’s movie’ but actually the Coenbrothers’ ‘Born After Reading’, which hardly counts because they only occupy the same cinematic space A very short time?
If you’re interested in getting two of Hollywood’s most famous movie stars, occasionally allowing themselves to be vulnerable but generally as cool as you’d expect, Apple has the answer for you. And the tech giant has agreed to keep the whole thing in theaters for exactly one week before ditching it on its Apple TV+ service.
It may sound sarcastic or cheesy, but it’s hard not to see the move in the same light: ‘Spider-Man’ trilogy director John Watts agrees to back new original crime caper, secures two giant stars then sees box office buzz
Still, there’s enough in the film that was made to warrant seeing it on the big screen, even if you’re in a hurry. Just don’t go in expecting a completely original story, as Key Unspools is basically a fun version of stories we’ve seen before with tweaks here and there.
Scripts and instructions
(L to R) Director John Watts, Brad Pitt and George Clooney on the set of ‘Wolves’. Photo: Sony Pictures.
Watts has been sitting on the ‘Wolves’ script for years, fully hoping that Clooney and Pitt would agree to star, as the roles were written for them in ‘Ocean’s chatty mode’. Of course, Spidey has had his way over the past few years (albeit doing plenty for the filmmaker’s profile and bank balance), but the director is now free from Marvel and returning to the movie that launched his career, ‘Cop Cars.’
The ‘Wolves’ script is light on its feet, mostly driven by the banter between Clooney and Pitt, though it occasionally twists itself into knots trying to figure out certain situations. And sometimes there’s also a heavy reliance on certain repetitive conversational techniques, such as two people overlapping each other or one saying a curse word, then the other saying the same thing when they discover what he’s seeing.
It all adds up to a movie when it feels just like that, a movie –– even though we don’t go to star-driven movies for such stark realism, it jolts you out of the experience from time to time.
And Watts knows how to direct both the actors and the action, New York shot with catchy tunes as the characters make their way on their unexpected missions. One moment in particular –– no spoilers, but it involves a car and a character is driven in slow-mo for maximum effect.
performance
(L to R) George Clooney and Brad Pitt in ‘Wolves’. Photo: Sony Pictures.
With the exception of Clooney and Pitt, almost everyone is a cipher (and should be made to feel hard by a particular actor –– see below.)
George Clooney as “Margaret’s Man”.
No character of the star is named that we learn here; Which is almost mysterious, comes with the gruff fixer’s job. Still, Clooney can knock this kind of role out of the park in his sleep, and here he’s given the opportunity to sideline the flashy charm for a more cautious character.
Brad Pitt as “Pams Man”.
Both Pitt and Clooney are promoting their real-life friendship here, though, submerged beneath the surface of characters who don’t want to work together. Pitt, like his co-star, is in fine form, playing it low and keeping it cool. There are a few funny grace notes for aging couples, like cracking back or downing Advil, and it all adds up to layers of two fixers.
Austin Abrams as “The Kid”.
Yes, names aren’t really a thing in this movie (with a couple of exceptions), but Abrams doesn’t need any to make an impact. He’s the two leads, his neurotic, slightly manic energy (as his character is in the middle of a drug trip/comedown during the story) works well against their measured stoicism, and he really works the part.
Amy Ryan as Margaret
Ryan is the first person we meet in the film, and though he only makes a brief appearance as the panicked district attorney who initially calls Clooney’s character for help when he thinks there’s a body in his room after a hookup gone bad, he It does more with less.
Supporting cast
A few other roles pop – ‘Never Have I Ever’s Poorna Jagannathan is dry and funny as June, a doctor to whom the central pair take the child, while Zlatko Burich dutifully portrays the gangster Dimitri whom our heroes interact with during the movie.
Still, there’s a huge amount of crime in the movie (and we don’t mean the murders or the drugs), and it’s a complete waste of the brilliant Richard Kind, who, while great as always, probably has a few lines of dialogue and a minute or two of screen time.
final thought
(L to R) Brad Pitt and George Clooney in ‘Wolves’. Photo: Sony Pictures.
‘Wolves’ goes with star power for better and for worse, slowly turning the dial on the central characters, removing some layers and adding some moral questions, which is why Clooney and Pitt took the gig out of the opportunity to back up the team again on screen.
It doesn’t entirely succeed, but it’s better than your average crime caper.
‘Wolves’ gets 7 out of 10 stars.
Showtimes and tickets
Two rival fixers cross paths when they are both called to help cover up the wrongdoing of a prominent New York official. In one explosive night, they must set… Read the plot
What is the plot of ‘Wolves’?
‘Wolves’ stars George Clooney as a professional fixer hired to cover up a high-profile crime. But when a second fixer (Brad Pitt) shows up and the two “lone wolves” are forced to work together, they find their night spiraling out of control in ways neither of them expected.
Who is acting in ‘Wolves’?
- George Clooney as Jack
- Brad Pitt as Nick
- Amy Ryan as Margaret
- Austin Abrams as Baby
- Poorna Jagannathan as June
- Zlatko Burich as Dimitri
- Richard Kind as the baby’s father
(L to R) George Clooney and Brad Pitt in ‘Wolves’. Photo: Sony Pictures.
