‘Wolves’ Movie Review: George Clooney and Brad Pitt Add Charm to This Smooth Operation

A still from ‘Wolves’ Photo credit: Apple TV

Director Jon Watts’ latest non-franchise directorial effort may be the most low-profile high-profile movie of the year. On paper, it has everything: George Clooney and Brad Pitt — two of a fading breed of marquee megastars from Hollywood’s Golden Age who once convinced us that no matter what they were, we’d buy a ticket just to see them. Them — share the screen in a whimsical caper about professional fixers tasked with cleaning up a derelict New York hangout. Yet, much like his aging heroes, the wolf Feels a little clumsy and self-conscious. The film leans heavily on its stars’ nostalgia, and while that’s no small coin, the result feels more like a laid-back joyride than anything truly compelling.

For those expecting something as zippy and sharp of the ocean voting rights, the wolf Starts off that way but eventually takes a slower, more muddled path. Clooney and Pitt play two nameless fixers (though let’s be real, they’re playing themselves) called in by separate clients to handle the fallout of a very messy evening. Amy Ryan is a politician in the middle of an election campaign who accidentally finds herself with a dead lover and calls Clooney for help. Pete, hired by the hotel owner to keep things quiet, soon arrives, which leads to the inevitable: the two rival professionals, each saying, “There’s no one who can do what I do”, are forced to work together.

The film leans heavily on their chemistry, which thankfully still has its fair share of sparks since their last shared outing. Burn after reading. Clooney plays it smooth, a relaxed confidence that borders on impudence, while Pitt, always the cheeky counter, imbues it with a kind of swaggering charm. The two tear each other apart like grumpy old men who can’t quite remember why they were bickering in the first place, and it’s this Butch and Sundance-like banter that’s the heartbeat of the film, albeit with a few more whining backs and sore knees for worse. But the problem is beyond their friendship, the wolf It offers little to elevate itself from the previous.

A still from ‘Wolves’ Photo credit: Apple TV

below the surface, the wolf Feels more like an excuse to revel in their chemistry than a complete story. Watts, who previously directed Marvel’s web-slinging Spiderman trilogy, seems content to let the Clooney-Pitt duo carry the film, relying on their charisma to mask the thinness of the plot. And for a while, it worked. You find yourself laughing at Clooney’s smug self-assurance and Pitt’s goofy bravado.

But the film never quite sheds its reliance on the lead and functions as a love letter to an era when star power alone can sell a film. Clooney and Pitt are among the last actors who can still command little more attention than their names above the headlines. And yet, even such wattage is not enough to guarantee market success. Once, this pair was a phenomenon; Now, this is another option in your queue.

A still from ‘Wolves’ Photo credit: Apple TV

The real surprise here isn’t Pitt and Clooney, though their self-deprecation gives some laughs about their twilight years. It’s Austin Abrams as “Kid,” the not-quite-dead boyfriend who wakes up midway through the film and transforms the plot from a buddy comedy to a frantic chase across town. Abrams plays the subtle motormouth, injecting a shot of drug-laced energy into the film as it begins to sag. His dynamic monologue, full of neurotic, semi-coherent explanations of how he got mixed up with drugs and mobsters, is a true highlight of the film and he manages to outdo his veteran co-stars for at least a few key scenes.

Watts also seems to revel in the genre’s homage. Tips his hat to the film Pulp FictionNot too subtle a nod to Harvey Keitel in the grammatically incorrect title, and sprinkled in everything from bagged McGuffins to car trunk POV shots. Yet none of this aligns with something greater… maybe it wasn’t intended to begin with.

in the end, the wolf Coast by charisma rather than craft. It’s fun, occasionally clever and oh, so smooth, but it’s not particularly memorable. Do you remember the plot? probably not Would you enjoy spending two hours with Clooney and Pitt? absolutely After all, there is no one who can do what they do.

The Wolf is currently streaming on Apple TV