Directed By Jon Watts

Starring – George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Amy Ryan

The Plot – A professional fixer (Clooney) is hired to cover up a high-profile crime. But when a second fixer (Pitt) shows up and the two “lone wolves” are forced to work together, they find their night spiraling out of control in ways that neither one of them expected.

Rated R for adult language throughout and some violent content.

WOLFS — Official Trailer | Apple TV+ (youtube.com)

POSITIVES

This is one of those examples where the stars set the standard, and though Clooney and Pitt could effortlessly play these kind of roles in their sleep, they contribute endless mystique, resiliency and of course charisma to their respective characters, which at least allows ‘Wolfs’ to maintain my invested interests throughout a very dry and conventional engagement. This is the ninth film that these two decorated leading lads have co-starred in alongside each other, and between that and a real life friendship that spans nearly thirty years between them, their brand of authentic chemistry is on full display throughout the evolution of their character’s dynamics, exuding a bickering rivalry between them that is easily the single biggest benefit to the movie’s integrity, all the while surmising two smoothly scintillating performances between them that oozes suave swagger in the lived-in brand of experience that each of them bring to the career elective within the film. Beyond its dazzling leads, Watts proves that his time spent on the most recent Spider-Man trilogy afforded him a rich appreciation for stimulating style which he unloads at the road of one urgently enthralling chase sequence that serves as the single most exciting scene to the movie, even if entirely unnecessary to the development of the long-term storytelling. Despite fast velocities and various parties involved, ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ cinematographer, Larkin Seiple, captures all of the devastation with masterful capabilities that allows him to stay one step ahead of the movements of the conflicts at all times, all the while radiating a luminating glow from tastefully lighted interior and exterior locations that brings this dangerous crime underworld to life in ways that a film this disposable probably doesn’t deserve. I also found the soundtrack dependency on Sade and sensational jazz compositions from Theodore Shapiro to articulate a meticulous cool factor for the film’s personality that suited its leads well, primarily during nuanced moments in the car, or overhead transitions that permeate so much personality to the city that never sleeps. In accomplishing so much with its intoxicating presentation, the film is essentially one of those experiences that could easily be watched an appreciated as a tourism video within the confines of its own fictional narrative, and while the direction of the film doesn’t overwhelm these instances with repetition that could easily obscure focus from the integrity of the storytelling, I found myself entranced by them each time they materialized on screen, proving my ages old opinion that New York looks best in films that are shot at night, so as to exude this dangerous world within a world that comes out to play when everyone else have packed it in for the night. Lastly, I loved and appreciated the subtle touches of continuity and world-building that sadly didn’t garner a bigger focus throughout the engagement, primarily these advertisements for the District Attorney (Played by Amy Ryan), that found their way to the backdrops of a couple of noteworthy scenes throughout. While this isn’t something that will make or break the occasion for anyone, I’ve always appreciated when a film will enhance depth to the kind of established setting that makes it feel like a character of its own in the movie, especially one whose indiscretion is essentially the whole reason for the conflict in question. It serves as an ironic wink and nod to the watchful eye of city employees who are often responsible for its most devastating actions, all the while serving as proof for life’s continuous motion, which persists even surrounding a plot that typically takes up the entirety of a film’s focus.

NEGATIVES

Much responsibility to the film’s entertainment value can be laid almost solely at the feet of Clooney and Pitt, but when their work acts against the counterproductive measures of the blandly underdeveloped screenplay, it leaves ‘Wolfs’ disappointed by derivativeness that has it feeling like any team-up movie that you’ve seen over the last thirty years. For my money, I got a sense of ‘Tango and Cash’ from the bickering rivalry of these characters, which so predictably resolves itself towards them being friends by film’s end, and though the charisma from them is all a lot of people will truly care about, I found it evidential to the lack of effort entailed that neither of them are given names or a backstory to flesh out their characters as being something deeper than simply just what the job entails. It’s a script stacked full of obviously familiar cliches, and one that ultimately keeps the film from conjuring anything to leave it feeling memorably endearing, especially in the lack of effort that is consistently established the longer the film persists towards an inferior second half. The script also feels void of urgency or conflict for the first half of its proceedings, so much so that it injects an unnecessary and over stylized chase sequence directly in the middle of its development, when the primary plot begins to unfold. Considering this script takes the time to establish so much mystery and ambiguity in the outlines of its respective characters and their initial setups, it’s astounding how it leads to so very little in enticing execution, resulting in a script with not only very little compelling drama on its way towards essentially going nowhere fast, but also feeling so desperate by the film’s midway point in the realization that it’s established so little for itself that it summons a foreigners conflict that is effortlessly disposed of in record time. On top of the script, I also found the movie’s tonal consistencies to be entirely problematic, leaving the actions of the cast and directorial framing feeling two entirely different films often fighting for the focus of its unwinding narrative. This is a film that takes itself completely too seriously, where its best and most memorable moments utilize humor as a twisted way of articulating the dark and murky depths of the job, but too often it reaches for the overly dramatic in a story that never truly earns it, diminishing a possible connection to the audience that hinges on its leads openly embracing the lunacy of their respective career. For my money, the film’s opening act is the best at attaining this, and the one that is most reflective of the film we should’ve gotten, but by film’s end there’s a scene where Clooney holds a gun to a character while attempting to silence an internal conflict, and with somberly swelling music notes framing it, emphasizes an action that feels monumental, despite the established conflict not exactly echoing its heavy handed cause. Finally, the film underwhelms to its final note, when a setup actually featuring some legitimate stakes and dramatic tension is unceremoniously cut short by post-movie credits that intrudes at the single worst moment it possibly could. I can understand that other films have done this very same thing, setting a future for the characters without deliberately exploiting it, however here it leaves a particular conflict within the plot feeling entirely unresolved, giving the film a sense of incompletion that serves as the biggest reminder to its straight-to-streaming quality.

OVERALL
‘Wolfs’ does show its teeth with two charismatically stimulating performances and luminating style, but its script never supplants four legs for the film to stand on, leaving it an undeveloped and ultimately underwhelming disappointment for the man who restored energy and excitement to the Spider-Man franchise. It’s entertaining enough to maintain your investment, but never effortful enough towards elevating it, leaving it all bark and no bite, on its way to being just another expensive content filler for our forgettable disposal

My Grade: 6/10 or C