Movie Review: ‘Wolfs’

by | Sep 26, 2024 | Featured Post, Movie Reviews, Movies | 0 comments


Greetings again from the darkness. George Clooney and Brad Pitt are both two-time Oscar winners and are both north of 60 years old now. This latest film from writer-director Jon Watts (three Spider-Man movies) seems to ask the question: Are they still cool in a wise-cracking action movie star way? It’s been twenty-three years since the two long-time friends co-starred in the first (of 3) “Ocean’s” movies, and there is no doubt they were the epitome of cool then. But what about now? And does it matter? The argument can be made that it does matter since so few non-superhero and non-comic book movies are capable of drawing big crowds to the theater these days. Unfortunately, this film won’t answer the question about drawing power, as a very limited one-week theatrical release will be followed by a run on Apple TV+.

The sound of shattering glass is followed by three F-words, the first dialogue we hear (and also the last). It turns out, the local District Attorney (Amy Ryan, “The Office”) is justified in using the language as she finds herself in a luxury hotel room with an apparently dead, underwear-clad young man on the floor, and blood all over her clothes. Now, if you or I were in this situation, we would quickly surmise there is no way out. In contrast, a powerful politician has a phone number to call. Soon, George Clooney is at her door. He’s a “fixer” or “cleaner”, depending on your preferred nomenclature. He’s calm and cool (there’s that word again) under pressure, and claims to be the only one who can do what he does. This claim is soon shattered as Brad Pitt shows up – equally calm and cool (!) – disavowing Clooney’s ‘only’ claim. If not for the blood and the body, Amy Ryan might be just fine with Clooney and Pitt popping into her hotel room. But that “if” looms large.

Circumstances being what they are, the two lone ‘wolfs’ are forced to work together. Their rivalry is enhanced by the one-liners, facial gestures, and body language that stems from Clooney and Pitt knowing each other so well. Their mission is made abundantly clear once a bag with four bricks of heroin is found … just prior to the body on the floor springing back to life. What follows is a unique and extended (too long) chase scene through the city at night. It turns out the body/young man/kid (played well by Austin Abrams, PAPER TOWNS, “Euphoria”) adds to the complication for our two fixers … despite finding them quite cool (!).

This trio crosses paths with Poorna Jagannathan (“The Night Of”) playing a Chinatown doctor they can trust, Zlatko Buric playing a nasty Albanian mob boss, and Richard Kind as the Kid’s dad with a Sinatra fixation (in a clever scene). It’s entertaining to see the long-time friends playing on screen rivals – both with bad backs, reading glasses, and a shared bottle of Advil. They probably aren’t as witty (or cool) as they imagine, but filmmaker Watts uses their camaraderie as an asset (and also Sade’s “Smooth Operator”). You’ll notice a few tips of the cap to previous characters and films, including Butch and Sundance near the end. Although she’s uncredited, you’ll appreciate knowing that is Oscar winner Frances McDormand’s voice on the phone in an early scene. Overall, it’s decent entertainment while reminding us to “check the pulse.”

Premieres on Apple TV+ beginning September 27, 2024

David Ferguson
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