On paper, “Wolfs” should be the perfect film: a high-action comedy starring two of Hollywood’s most famous A-list actors. The names George Clooney and Brad Pitt need no introduction — they’re known as heartthrobs capable of delivering layered performances, complete with their own laundry lists of accolades and awards over their storied careers. However, despite the potential for movie magic to come from the two leading men and director Jon Watts, who captured box-office success with the most recent “Spider-Man” trilogy, “Wolfs” is a lackluster film trying too hard to be cool, illustrating that top-notch actors can only take a narrative so far.
Set around Christmas during one long night in New York City, the film depicts the chaos and confusion that ensues when Jack (Clooney) is called in as a fixer for the high-profile politician Margaret (Amy Ryan). She hides a potentially career-ending secret: a, presumed to be dead, young man known as “Kid” (Austin Abrams) is hiding out in her Manhattan penthouse. As soon as Jack steps into his fixer persona, he sees that there’s another man on the job, Nick (Pitt). The two must work together — no matter how hard they clash — to put the night to bed and clean up Margaret’s mistakes.
The concept of the fixer is a figure who is enigmatic and identityless, slinking in and out of new jobs and labeled only with brackets in a phone contact.
“I didn’t know people like you existed,” Margaret says when Jack finally arrives at the scene. “They don’t,” he answers plainly.
Despite their job requiring a low profile, Jack and Nick spend the majority of the film jockeying for power, in a somewhat comedic fashion, each trying to come out on top as the titular alpha wolf. Cleverly enough, the title uses incorrect grammar by not pluralizing the word “wolf” as “wolves,” suggesting that the two are not actually a pair, but forced together. One effective aspect was the physical comedy emphasizing the age of the two stars. Tedious jokes, including Nick and Jack complaining about their bad backs or using reading glasses as a result of their old eyesight, made the film less serious, distancing itself from the near-death experiences the characters endure.
The technical elements of the film do most of the heavy lifting to entertain. Aerial shots of New York City aglow at night frame the film with a sense of noir, and the soundtrack is jazzy and understated, where songs like Sade’s “Smooth Operator” fit perfectly as Clooney cruises downtown in his BMW sports car. One sequence features an impressive use of stunt and camerawork, where the Kid narrowly escapes being hit by Clooney’s car as he jumps over it and lands on his feet, to the surprise of the two wolves. Filmed in slow motion, this scene almost stops time, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats in anticipation of the Kid’s landing.
However, these moments can only push the narrative forward so much. The film — which is mostly a wild goose chase as the two engage in damage control for the Kid — lacks substance to keep the viewer invested and engaged in the story’s implications. Margaret disappears and never returns after the first 20 minutes.
In terms of performances, while Clooney and Pitt prove yet again why they are so famous and successful by oozing confidence, Abrams stands out as the heart of the film. The wolves are cold, meant to be suave and emotionless. Conversely, the Kid is just a struggling student caught in a dangerous situation.
“Today was like the first day that I ever felt cool,” he confessed to the wolves, adding a sense of humanity and delicacy to his case.
The coolness between Clooney and Pitt is at times forced and seems to be compensating for the rest of the film. Having previously starred together in the “Ocean’s Eleven” franchise, the two are very familiar with the role of the heist-man — Clooney even more so, given his leading role as Michael Clayton in the eponymous film, for which he was nominated for Best Actor. In a press release, Watts describes “Wolfs” as “if Michael Clayton met Michael Clayton.” But “Michael Clayton” has stakes, threatening themes of corporate greed and moral dilemmas. “Wolfs” is more or less an enemies-to-friends action flick — a dad movie if you will. Even if both films focus on fixers and star Clooney, their artistic weight could not be more different. The same goes with Watts’ comparisons of Clooney and Pitt to retro heartthrob pairings like Robert Redford and Paul Newman. All four are electrifying actors, but this energy just doesn’t translate to “Wolfs,” and nothing new is brought to the table other than portraits of overly masculine characters.
At its best, “Wolfs” is a slightly above-average action comedy, driven solely by the top-billed casting names. Hopefully, going forward, more films can learn to develop all elements of their narratives, rather than leaning on others for more coverage. While the fixers are seen as lone wolves, the audience leaves as one too, alienated from a tired and hastily drawn-together film looking just to venerate its leading men.
Contact Maggie Turner at [email protected].
