Wolf

Nivekian wrote:

Worst portrayal of a werewolf since the 40's

Noel Bailey (uds3@hotmail.com) wrote on IMDB:

Now HERE is a film to sort out the average from the anything-but-average viewer. The reviews I have read sadden me, as they suggest a respective ratio of 98 : 2

If you cannot see the absolute brilliance and talent that went into this deceptively clever and involving movie, why declare your obvious limitations by writing about it? Of course it was never going to be your average run of the mill lycanthropic bite-fest. Was that ever likely with Mike Nichols directing and Nicholson starring?

The film is a dedication to BELIEFS, to unseen beauty, unacknowledged links and to the predator in all of us. It is a tale of romance and magnificence. Way up there in my own personal top 50 films of all time I could never tire of watching this film and LISTENING..and this word is the key.   [ show more ]

HEARING becomes an intrinsic part of Nicholson's transformation after he is bitten by a wolf on his way home one night in upstate New York. He works as senior editor in an upmarket publishing house that is taken over by a conglomerate headed up by Christopher Plummer in one of his superb little Christopher Plummer characterisations. Nicholson's Will Randall is offered the job no-one wants by Plummer to catalyse his hoped-for resignation. The essence of the wolf however already in his blood sharpens his instincts and he takes the fight up to Plummer ultimately forcing a back-down.

Of so many wonderful scenes presented, it is hard to nominate a favorite but that where he meets Plummer's daughter (Michelle Pfeiffer) stands as one of the great verbal exchanges ever put down on film. Up there with Pacino and De Niro in HEAT, Pacino and Keanu Reeves in THE DEVILS ADVOCATE, sparks just fly as the old pro shreds her veneer of impenetrable coldness and gets plenty back, all the time both unconsciously aware of something quite outside their experiences, taking hold somewhere in another dimension.

My personal nomination for stand out scene, is the sequence where Will Randall, concerned and confused as to what is happening to him, consults alternative health doctor Vijay Alezias (so humbly played by Om Puri) who understands what afflicts Randall and explains to him the "nature" of the wolf and the strength it will ultimately bequeath upon him. In a scene so absolutely touching, he proffers his hand to Nicholson and explaining that he is an old man with limited time left asks "Would you honor me with your bite?" How ANYONE could watch that and not be moved to an emotional melt-down I just don't know. The utter confusion reigning then in Randall's expression when he declines is just acting on another level altogether.

James Spader who is consistently one of the most repulsive of actors (maybe thats his talent?) in a litany of warped and twisted roles plays the corporate climber not just happy to take Randall's job, but his friend's wife (smallish role for Nelligan) as well. The washroom scene where Nicholson announces simply "Just marking out my territory" was worth seeing alone!

Many have complained bitterly that the finale descends into a "typical b-grade werewolf movie." Jeez, they ARE WEREWOLVES for God's sake what did you expect Nichols to come up with? a fight to the death with mouse pads? The absolute last scene where Pfeiffer's eyes morph into the wolf was an inspirational touch. Easily one of HER best films! [ show less ]

jimboduck wrote on IMDB:

Even in the confines of big skyscrapers, it's a dog eat dog world.

Simply put, WOLF is a class act. The director is legendary. The acting is subdued yet electrically charged. To top things off, the classic, almost Hitchcock-esquire score by Ennio Morricone draws you in from the opening credits straight to the end. WOLF is such a unique and stylish addition to the werewolf tradition that it easily bursts through the bars of any category you place it in.

Mike Nichols boasts a career that is a study in itself. After artistically defining a post-war generation with the Graduate in 1967, he has been very selective with his projects behind the camera. Twenty-seven years after the Graduate, the veteran Nichols rises to the challenge of weaving a wide range of adult themes into one coherent werewolf movie. Stylistically, the shots and cinematography featured in the movie hearken back to an adventurous 70's spirit that has been abandoned in modern film. The combination of quick and slow zooms, along with expansive cuts of open spaces make the 125 minute story both rhythmic and engrossing.   [ show more ]

WOLF is not the conventional werewolf movie we're accustomed to seeing, as the film is meant to induce a snicker as opposed to a scream. Although the scare factor takes a marked jump towards the end, the movie isn't really a horror movie. It focuses mostly on the canine tricks of corporate power, double-crossing, and primordial carnal knowledge. In this respect, James Spader upstages Jack Nicholson and almost steals the show.

Still, there's all the good stuff that comes with werewolf movies. The curse is a contagion transmitted by a bite. Who's the monster, and what makes the monster fearsome? What happens when Jack starts to turn? How far can Mike Nichols upset our comfort level? For all those horror fans out there, the make-up team did a superb job, no doubt influenced by the disjointed transformations of the original black and white wolf-man classic.

As a telltale sign of the film's sophistication, the werewolf theme is dramatically eclipsed by the true storyline – Nicholson's over-the-hill struggles in the publishing business. In the final examination, with corporate culture in mind, WOLF tends to resemble Wall Street or As Good as It Gets more than it does the Howling or American Werewolf in London. Nichols does a masterful job seamlessly weaving canine trickery into the workplace. Jack's heightened sense of smell detects his coworker's early morning Tequila. His pointed ears pick up juicy office gossip. In addition to these scenes, WOLF introduces an innovative corporate idea – urination and marking of territory, something that every sensible dog does when he feels like it!

The only detractor from WOLF is the quick and dirty relationship between Pfiffer and Nicholson. Even though the film is billed as a werewolf movie, this relationship somewhat stands as a centerpiece. To be sure, the sparse exchanges between the two stars feature witty dialog with plenty of chemistry. But despite this potential, the relationship somehow rings hollow and gets trampled beneath the other story lines that are taking place.

Apparently Sharon Stone was offered the female lead but turned the role down. To some extent, I don't blame her. The development of Michelle Pfiffer's character in the movie was something of a question mark.

The Pfiffer-Nicholson love story culminates in WOLF's unique ending. If you happen to catch this movie, you can frolic through the woods with Jack along to Morricone's synthesized arpeggios. Then determine for yourself whether the ending adds or detracts from the movie. It's been a quandary for me ever since I saw WOLF for the first time in 1994.

JY

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