Film Review – Wolfs

September 26th, 2024 | POSTED BY Allen Almachar

The oddly titled Wolfs (2024) – shouldn’t it be “Wolves?” – is about as laid back as you can get when it comes to a crime comedy. There are a lot of shady characters getting into all kinds of hijinks, but it’s all done with an even keeled, methodical approach. Despite the shootouts and pile of dead bodies, the tone and style this feels much more akin to a hang out film. That might be a turn off for some viewers. The central draw has less to do with story and more with the chemistry and dialogue between the main actors. Sometimes that works. On occasion, seeing movie stars simply be movie stars is enough to make for an enjoyable experience. Of course, the mileage may vary from person to person.

The film benefits from the presence of George Clooney and Brad Pitt. As we have already seen from the previous Ocean’s Eleven (2001) movies, Clooney and Pitt work very well together on screen – there is no doubt that they get along and are likely friends in real life. That dynamic is at the heart of the narrative. The two play rival “fixers,” those that show up to a crime scene and dispose of all evidence (including any corpses) to make it seem like nothing ever happened. As far as we are told, the unnamed clean up men are good at what they do. Things get interesting when the two are accidentally called upon for the same job – involving a city official, Margaret (Amy Ryan) stuck in a hotel room with a body (Austin Abrams) laid out and bloodied on the floor.

Now, I’m not an expert on the innerworkings of organized crime, but I would assume that two fixers getting inadvertently called to the same gig isn’t a good thing. Writer/director Jon Watts structures the entirety of the first act like a stage play. Not only do Clooney and Pitt’s characters interrogate Margaret to figure out what happened and plan a course of action, they must also find out why they were both sent to the same hotel. It’s a fun back and forth between the three actors. Watts’ direction has them moving within the room as though they were on a stage. The immediate distrust and suspicion make for a lot of the comedy. The fixers both prefer to work alone, but circumstances forced them to become a pair. How the two compare and contrast their methods was amusing. 

The narrative switches things up in the second and third acts, where the guys move out of the hotel to deal with the body. What is supposed to be a quick and painless procedure turns out to be a slog that lasts all night. Our protagonists run into all sorts of colorful characters. They dive into a conspiracy much deeper than either of them expected. The way these obstacles unfold has a repetitive nature, where Clooney and Pitt’s characters get themselves in a sticky situation and must use their wits to get out of it. One of the better sequences is how the two try to transport the body from the hotel elevator to the parking garage without being spotted. It’s a nifty little scene, where the two must navigate around the security guards, deal with cameras, get the body into the car, and escape. It certainly doesn’t help that both characters are at odds with each other, adding an extra layer of tension.

I wouldn’t call Wolfs an action picture, but it does contain some well-choreographed set pieces. The standout is an extended chase sequence throughout the city streets. With Pitt on foot and Clooney in a car, the two track down a person of interest as they weave their way down alleys, through buildings, under and over bridges, etc. The camera follows them with quick and smooth tracking shots, making the entire scene feel like a cat and mouse game. Not only is the choreography well done, but Clooney and Pitt add some texture with their performances. They make the characters completely annoyed for having to deal with such a situation. 

The writing includes plenty of banter between the characters. Both fixers start as adversaries, but as the plot thickens, their motivations coalesce into a singular goal: make it through the night alive. Because Clooney and Pitt’s characters are detail oriented (how can you not be in this line of work?), there are several instances where the two talk out their predicament. They work out the problem to find the best solution. One might see these conversations as witty, like a comedic game of hot potato where punchlines are tossed back and forth. Others might see it as wasted time – scenes plagued with heavy exposition detailing all the information to make sure the audience is keeping up. I fall in line somewhere in the middle. I enjoyed watching Clooney and Pitt bring back the old camaraderie and have some fun together. At the same time, the way their characters are constantly made to explain everything got tiresome after a while.

I mostly enjoyed Wolfs, even though it was lukewarm through long stretches. Despite the star power of George Clooney and Brad Pitt, the overall result felt tame. It’s not that there were any glaring issues – there’s plenty to like – but the film felt so passive in how it set up its stakes. Instead of keeping us on the edge of our seats, it asks us to lean back, relax, and tag along for the ride.

Amy Ryan, Austin Abrams, Brad Pitt, Featured, George Clooney, Jon Watts, Ocean's Eleven, Wolfs