Wolfs Review: George Clooney & Brad Pitt’s Classy but Tired Crime Comedy

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As a movie critic who has been around the block more times than my car, I must say that “Wolfs” left me feeling as if I had just watched two aging stars trying to recapture their glory days. It’s no secret that George Clooney and Brad Pitt were once the epitome of cool, but in this film, they seem like they’re trying too hard to remind us of that fact.

In the closing scenes of director Jon Watts’ crime thriller titled “Wolfs,” it’s not a secret that both George Clooney and Brad Pitt’s characters manage to make it through alive. This might be a strategic move by Apple TV+ to generate more buzz, but a sequel has already been confirmed. However, the film may signal the end of an era for A-list stars like these two, who often seem to casually charm their way through glamorous cityscapes in lighthearted, partially satirical films. In “Wolfs,” Clooney and Pitt play skilled fixers who are compelled to team up when they’re hired to mask the same crime. The film seems like a farewell to sophisticated heist movies, such as the Ocean’s series, which played a significant role in elevating them to worldwide fame.

In a different way of putting it:

Clooney and Pitt are Well-Dressed and All Business

Since his indie thriller, “Cop Car”, released in 2015, Watts hasn’t taken on a film without the term “Spider-Man” in the title. Those expecting him to make Clooney and Pitt dive into a low-budget adventure will be disillusioned. With the estimated $70 million given to Clooney and Pitt alone, Watts could fund roughly 14 sequels of “Cop Car”. This grandiose production is evident from the start, with Clooney’s character being referred to as ‘Pam’s Man’ in press notes but as ‘Jack’ on Wikipedia. For simplicity, we’ll call him Jack hereafter.

Jack is a fixer first seen entering a $10,000 a night hotel room occupied by New York’s terrified District Attorney (Amy Ryan) and a presumably dead man in his underwear (Austin Abrams). What happened to him is not Jack’s concern. Jack’s job is to surreptitiously remove him from the hotel with the discretion inherent in his secretive, lone wolf profession where flattery takes the form of compliments like “there’s only one man in the city who can do what you do.”

When Clooney plays an intense, unconventional character devoid of his usual charisma and humor, he creates an air of persistent irritation that seems out of place for him. This leaves the task of handling the material convincingly to Pitt, who manages it with a casual yet engaged demeanor. Known for his amusing quirks and subtle mannerisms, Pitt adds just the right amount of dull luster to his character, nicknamed Nick in the movie. As Jack readies himself to neatly dispose of the body and wheel it away in a luggage cart, Nick unexpectedly appears in the hotel room, claiming he too has been summoned to resolve the same issue.

The initial 30-minute scene set in the hotel room is a bold move, but it may overstay its charm as Watts, who penned the dialogue, isn’t quite on par with writers like Aaron Sorkin or David Mamet. The continuous exchange of sharp dialogues and quick wit intended to portray Nick and Jack’s icy relationship can become tiresome. Fortunately, when Nick discovers a corner full of raw heroin in a backpack, the plot takes a thrilling turn as they delve deeper into the perilous underbelly of New York City.

Austin Abrams Kicks the Film into Gear

Fundamentally, Wolfs can be seen as a one-time thriller spin-off similar to Martin Scorsese’s After Hours and Michael Mann’s Collateral, yet lacking the unbridled vigor of the former or the electrifying nighttime tension of the latter. The unique appeal of Wolfs primarily stems from Abrams (The Walking Dead), who breathes life into the film when his character, known as The Kid, inexplicably awakens in the trunk of Jack’s car.

Reminiscent of comedian Demetri Martin’s younger sibling, Abrams injects a nervous, restless vibe into his role that significantly adds to the film’s intensity. Known as the dubious Kid, who constantly emphasizes he’s not a male escort, he is the sole informant and crucial lifeline for Jack and Nick as they navigate through the perilous night.

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Prolonging his life just enough to track down the origin of the heroin requires a trip to an unorthodox physician hidden within a Chinatown eatery, followed by a prolonged chase through Manhattan’s streets. Abrams delivers one of the film’s most powerful scenes, a captivating soliloquy where The Kid opens up about his past, detailing how he came to possess the heroin and found himself entangled with the District Attorney.

Sorry, George and Brad, the Aughts are Over

It’s not by chance that the most brilliant instances of Wolves aren’t rooted in their primary selling points, but rather from someone much younger and less famous. The days when the hilarious sight of two well-known legends stumbling through a dance at a Croatian wedding is barely remembered. Similarly, the era of peak fish-out-of-water comedy has passed, as well as the time when the epitome of comedic irony was a deadly serious black ops agent jamming to Sade’s smooth tracks “No Ordinary Love” and “Smooth Operator” in his vehicle.

In the past, before Tom Cruise became a consistent box office draw, filmmakers like Steven Soderbergh produced expensive, star-studded films that were lively. Interestingly, Soderbergh directed Clooney and Pitt in three such productions. However, “Wolfs” aims to convey the heaviness of its star power and the large budget spent on its production. Yet, the simultaneous boredom displayed by Nick and Jack towards the end of the movie is not merely a sign of their transition from competitive rivals to amicable friends. Instead, it reflects a growing disinterest and tiredness in the declining ship of celebrity culture dominated by baby boomers.

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2024-09-01 23:06