Wolfs review: slick action-comedy hinges on effortless charisma of Pitt and Clooney

★★★★☆

As a movie enthusiast with over three decades of cinematic adventures under my belt, I must say that “Wolfs” is a delightful addition to the action-comedy genre. With a stellar cast led by George Clooney and Brad Pitt, this film harkens back to the glory days of the Ocean’s trilogy, albeit with a more mature twist.

The movie “Wolfs” made its debut at the Venice Film Festival and is set to stream on Apple TV+ starting from this Friday, 27th September. Don’t forget to add it to your list of shows to watch!

George Clooney’s character in the film “Wolfs,” a cleaner, boasts that no one can perform his tasks. However, this statement proves false when he’s summoned to a high-end New York penthouse suite following a tragic accident. Inside, Amy Ryan’s character, a District Attorney named Margaret, is distressed over the incident. A young man lies dead in the bedroom, having slipped and collided with a drinks cart. Despite insisting that the deceased was not a prostitute, it’s clear that a mess requires cleaning up, particularly for a public figure known to be hard on crime.

Next, another character, Brad Pitt’s character who is a cleaner hired by the hotel owner Pamela, enters the scene. Pamela wants to preserve her pristine new luxury hotel from any potential scandal. With their separate methods, Pitt’s character and Clooney’s (Margaret’s guy) find themselves in a situation where they must work together to accomplish their tasks. In the credits, they are referred to as “Pam’s man” and “Margaret’s man,” respectively, indicating their allegiances without naming them directly.

As “Smooth Operator” by Sade harmoniously plays in the background, these two individuals quickly grasp that this job is not as straightforward as it seems, especially when they stumble upon a backpack filled with illegal substances in their hotel room. Who could be responsible? A merciless gang of Albanian drug traffickers, perhaps? Matters escalate further when the corpse they’re burying in Clooney’s car proves to be surprisingly alive. Known as “The Kid” in the credits and played by Austin Abrams from “Euphoria”, this character has been ordered to deposit the drugs, which could potentially unlock all the secrets surrounding the situation.

Making its debut out of competition at the Venice Film Festival, “Wolfs” is a film written and directed by Jon Watts, who gained fame for his recent Spider-Man trilogy with Tom Holland. A significant portion of the movie relies on the captivating charm of Brad Pitt and George Clooney, who last worked together in the 2008 Coen Brothers’ film “Burn After Reading.” Given its humorous tone and crime narrative, it should appeal to those who appreciated the relaxed camaraderie between these high-profile stars as seen in the Ocean’s trilogy of movies. In essence, it could be referred to as “Ocean’s Twosome” or simply “Ocean’s Two.”

In this dialogue-focused movie, around halfway through, there’s a thrilling pursuit scene that combines foot chases and car pursuits. Clooney and Pitt are hot on the heels of the terrified Kid as he navigates the frosty streets of New York and even darts into a shopping mall, all while wearing only his underwear and socks. This sequence is undeniably the most energetic in the film, until the third act becomes heavily reliant on gunfire. However, it doesn’t quite match the excitement of the chase scene in Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver, which seems to have left its mark on this production.

During a single night, as the movie reaches its climax, the character Zlatko Burić, a seasoned actor from “Triangle of Sadness”, makes an appearance. He portrays a flamboyant drug lord figure, overseeing his daughter’s extravagant wedding in a gaudy club. Throughout, there’s a subtle humor woven into the storyline, particularly when Pitt and Clooney are compelled to remove their reading glasses to read an address displayed on a pager. As time passes, these two heartthrobs – once synonymous with youthful vigor in the Ocean’s era – no longer possess the same hip, young energy. The movie concludes with a reference to “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”, leaving viewers entertained but perhaps not moved to laughter under the moonlight. Despite its confusing plotline and shallow characters, “Wolfs” manages to be enjoyable for the duration.

2024-09-02 15:04

★★★★☆

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