On September 27, the comedy action film «Wolfs» was released on Apple TV+, which, after the «Friends of Ocean’s» trilogy and the black comedy «Burn After Reading», reunites Hollywood superstars George Clooney and Brad Pitt on screen. Previously, the film was planned for wide release, and in Ukraine had to come out on September 19 (they even brought a dubbed trailer), but in August Apple announced the cancellation of these plans. As a result, the film was released in a limited US theatrical release, and a week later on Apple TV+. In the review below, we’ll find out how comfortable the two big stars are on the now small screen.
Pluses:
The movie boasts quality humor; a large part of the charm in this story rests on the shoulders of the main stars; in general, it's a good entertaining and light movie that will be perfect for everyone who is tired of the overwhelming number of bulky blockbusters or the same horror that is a regular at the box office;
Minuses:
Objectively, this is not an outstanding, somewhat lazy script; after watching it, you may get the impression that the creators did not maximize the potential of the available resources;
«Wolfs»
Genre comedy action movie, thriller
Director John Watts
Starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Austin Abrams, Amy Ryan, Poorna Jagannathan, Zlatko Buric, Richard Kind, Frances McDormand (voice)
Premiere Apple TV+
Year of issue 2024
Website IMDb
One winter evening, in a cozy room in a luxury hotel in Manhattan, a fatal accident occurs. The local district attorney decided to have some fun with a handsome young stranger, but he probably took some kind of drug and then, due to his own carelessness, tripped and smashed his head. To get rid of the negative consequences of the fatal event, she decides to hire a professional cleaner to destroy any evidence of her involvement in the incident.
But then another «problem solver» suddenly appears in the room, this time hired by the hotel manager who wants to get rid of reputational risks. Given the circumstances, the two professionals, who are used to working alone, will have to abandon their principles and join forces to get the job done. But neither of them could have imagined that this unplanned collaboration would turn out to be just the first force majeure in the case. It looks like it’s going to be a long night.
Director Jon Watts, who has directed all three Spider-Man films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is currently suspended from high-profile Marvel blockbusters to a more down-to-earth movie, and he does it very well. Of course, it’s hard to spoil a movie when you have superstars like George Clooney and Brad Pitt in your corner. However, history has already seen enough failed films that even an outstanding cast could not pull off. It’s a good thing that «Wolfs» is not one of them.
It will hardly come as a surprise that the lion’s share of the story’s charm comes from the charisma and on-screen interaction of Clooney and Pitt, two big stars and truly great actors (both are also credited as producers, as the production was handled by their companies Smokehouse Pictures and Plan B Entertainment, respectively). They got the roles of such professional «janitors» like Winston, note the last name, Wolfe, played by Harvey Keitel in the cult «Pulp Fiction» Tarantino.
Many of the comedic moments are based on some subtle nuances related to the protagonists (just think of the interrogation they arrange), as well as on obvious self-irony, such as the episode with the glasses. The almost absolute identity of the characters and their antagonism, i.e. the fact that these «twins» are trying their best to devalue their opponent, are also played out in an inventive way. At the same time, they both not only look the same, but also think, act, plan, and even turn to the same person for help.
In this context, it is appropriate to recall the analogy that held The Guardian reviewer Xan Brooks, recalling the popular Spider-Man Pointing at Spider-Man meme from the Spider-Man animated series.
In a rather flat and, what’s more, far from outstanding scenario, there are no surprises (because you can’t call it a twist that migrated here somewhere from «Saw»), the events on the screen are still interesting to watch, and the development of the main characters’ relationships becomes an adornment of this simple plot. At the same time, the film has an expressive atmosphere: the events take place during one night, and the nighttime «noir» the scenes with the snow slowly whirling in the air have a nice vibe to them.
In general, there is a critical shortage of such lighthearted and qualitatively funny movies with cool actors as «Wolfs» today, unlike in the noughties, because studios are the last ones willing to pay significant fees to stars for frivolously fooling around on the big screen. That’s why such down-to-earth projects are worth their weight in gold, as they’re a great alternative to cumbersome blockbusters.
In August was reported that the apple company is planning a sequel, with John Watts once again writing and directing, and Clooney and Pitt reprising their roles. Well, as you can see, these two have proven time and time again that their collaboration leads to something truly worthwhile.
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