Wolf (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
'Wolf', directed by Mike Nichols, is a modern re-telling of 1941's The Wolf Man. I have not seen the original, but hear that it oozed horror, portent, & atmosphere. I don't know that this version matches that film in those departments. But I will say that this film's tone is all over the place. The movie's not bad, but it's a head-scratcher, nevertheless. We 1st meet a tired, out-of-luck Will Randall (Jack Nicholson), the chief editor at a NYC publishing firm. He's haggard, lately - mostly due to a co-worker taking his job, along with his wife (nice, huh?). Action starts early with Will driving down a snowy New England road; eventually using his sleeve to wipe away fog from the window. The drive is going fine until he spots a shape ahead, & his car slams into what seems to be a wolf. When he exits his vehicle to investigate, he is bitten, the wolf runs away, & the infection begins to work into his bloodstream. He is now a werewolf.
The 1st change he feels is a burst of energy, followed by a heightened sensory perception (sense of small & hearing). After this, he realizes that his personality is different; as he is no longer an easy-going type of guy. With this newfound personality change, Will becomes aggressive in fighting for his job when shrewd billionaire tycoon, Raymond Alden (a great Christopher Plummer), takes over the firm & threatens to replace him with servile self-seeker Stewart Swinton (James Spader). Will also gains some courage when dealing with females (something he struggled with, prior). This behavior goes on display when he meets, & continues to interact with Alden's beautiful daughter, Laura (Michelle Pfeiffer). She begins to fall for Will, without realizing the creature he turns into, or that his appetite for human blood is growing. Can Laura help him? How will he deal with Stewart Swinton breathing down his neck? It all culminates in an agitatedly messy manner.
'Wolf' is an easy film to watch. All it asks for is that we accept that a Wolf Man can mystically exist. There's no confusion to be found elsewhere. Mike Nichols is an assured director. The film is dressed elegantly (photography, sets, extensive make-up work on Nicholson). The script has some moments of irony & wit. The cast does a good job. Jack Nicholson's restraint makes Will Randall believable, so that when he becomes animalistic (as he can get), we appreciate the early restraint. Michelle Pfeiffer is solid as Laura. We like her. I just wish she were in the film a bit more. We loathe Stewart, so James Spader nails the 'villain' role. Eileen Atkins, Kate Nelligan, & Richard Jenkins do well in minor roles. I like how the Wolf Man mythology/subtext is placed into the 1990's society of cutthroat corporate power struggles, etc. I like the obvious metaphor of human value being killed (by a wolf/in the corporate world).
All that said, the last half of 'Wolf' somewhat disappoints. You know the film is 2 hours long, & by the 1 hour mark, you start to think 'gee, the corporate wrangling doesn't really mesh with werewolves, does it?'. Also, Will's sweet relationship with Laura gets expedited into wild passion without having the context in the middle to bridge it. Then there's a climactic battle which feels silly in a plot that put so much early focus on atmosphere, metaphor, & style. The film descends in narrative quality. Also, there are very few, if no, scares. Sure, a ravenous Jack Nicholson will always be 'scary' (haha), but nothing made me cower in my seat. And finally, the film is too glossy for art house audiences, yet too disjointed for commercial fare. The synergy was off. If the script was incredible, all of these misplaced elements & tonal inconsistencies wouldn't really matter. But I rest on B-/2.5 stars rating. The movie is simply a mixed bag of the good & not-so-good.
The 1st change he feels is a burst of energy, followed by a heightened sensory perception (sense of small & hearing). After this, he realizes that his personality is different; as he is no longer an easy-going type of guy. With this newfound personality change, Will becomes aggressive in fighting for his job when shrewd billionaire tycoon, Raymond Alden (a great Christopher Plummer), takes over the firm & threatens to replace him with servile self-seeker Stewart Swinton (James Spader). Will also gains some courage when dealing with females (something he struggled with, prior). This behavior goes on display when he meets, & continues to interact with Alden's beautiful daughter, Laura (Michelle Pfeiffer). She begins to fall for Will, without realizing the creature he turns into, or that his appetite for human blood is growing. Can Laura help him? How will he deal with Stewart Swinton breathing down his neck? It all culminates in an agitatedly messy manner.
'Wolf' is an easy film to watch. All it asks for is that we accept that a Wolf Man can mystically exist. There's no confusion to be found elsewhere. Mike Nichols is an assured director. The film is dressed elegantly (photography, sets, extensive make-up work on Nicholson). The script has some moments of irony & wit. The cast does a good job. Jack Nicholson's restraint makes Will Randall believable, so that when he becomes animalistic (as he can get), we appreciate the early restraint. Michelle Pfeiffer is solid as Laura. We like her. I just wish she were in the film a bit more. We loathe Stewart, so James Spader nails the 'villain' role. Eileen Atkins, Kate Nelligan, & Richard Jenkins do well in minor roles. I like how the Wolf Man mythology/subtext is placed into the 1990's society of cutthroat corporate power struggles, etc. I like the obvious metaphor of human value being killed (by a wolf/in the corporate world).
All that said, the last half of 'Wolf' somewhat disappoints. You know the film is 2 hours long, & by the 1 hour mark, you start to think 'gee, the corporate wrangling doesn't really mesh with werewolves, does it?'. Also, Will's sweet relationship with Laura gets expedited into wild passion without having the context in the middle to bridge it. Then there's a climactic battle which feels silly in a plot that put so much early focus on atmosphere, metaphor, & style. The film descends in narrative quality. Also, there are very few, if no, scares. Sure, a ravenous Jack Nicholson will always be 'scary' (haha), but nothing made me cower in my seat. And finally, the film is too glossy for art house audiences, yet too disjointed for commercial fare. The synergy was off. If the script was incredible, all of these misplaced elements & tonal inconsistencies wouldn't really matter. But I rest on B-/2.5 stars rating. The movie is simply a mixed bag of the good & not-so-good.