Our Review

                        Movie: WOLFS

        Rating: R, language throughout and                                some violent content                                              Length: 1:48

           Release Date: September 20, 2024

Jeanne: What happens when two aged fixers who only want to work alone --- think ‘lone wolf’ --- show up at the same job? Writer/director Jon Watts’ new film, WOLFS, stars George Clooney and Brad Pitt as the two professionals now forced to work together.

WOLFS opens in a very large, very well-appointed penthouse suite in a swanky new hotel in New York City. A frightened woman covered in blood stabs at her cell phone reaching out for help. The person on the other end of the line isn’t a cop, but instead a voice who repeatedly asks her how she got this number. She explains she got it from a friend who told her to call if she ever found herself in a dire situation.

Her dilemma is the dead body of a much younger man on the floor in her suite next to the bed. Told to stay exactly where she is --- and not to talk to anyone --- the man on the phone informs her that he’ll be there as soon as possible. That man is the fixer, now known as ‘Margaret’s Man’ (Clooney). Margaret (Amy Ryan) is a NYC District Attorney with children, so being found in a hotel penthouse with a dead young man would severely alter her life.

As ‘Margaret’s Man’ begins the process of cleaning up, a second fixer known as ‘Pam’s Man’ shows up. Pam is the owner of said hotel and she doesn’t want this little deadly incident to ruin the hotel’s reputation. Neither fixer wants to work with the other, but between Margaret and Pam, they have no choice. After cleaning Margaret up and sending her home, these two guys just want to finish the job and go their separate ways.

Unfortunately, for ‘Margaret’s Man’ and ‘Pam’s Man’ there are two new problems. One --- ‘Pam’s Man’ finds the ‘Kid’s’ (Austin Abrams) hidden backpack filled with four bricks of some kind of drugs belonging to an Albanian gang. And the second problem --- well, I’m not going to give that one away.

WOLFS may not be any of the OCEAN’S films, but it does reunite two of our favorite old white guys, Clooney and Pitt, who still exude their classic chemistry. It’s an entertaining action comedy filled with some pretty impressive action like a body catapulting over a speeding BMW, and a chase scene --- on foot --- involving the Brooklyn Bridge. And, of course, the clever repartee between the two stars is always a hoot --- they make it look so easy.

Watts’ screenplay is great in parts but lacking in others. Clooney and Pitt do their best with what they’re given --- and truly --- it’s enough. It’s fun to have these two close friends on screen together again, no matter the circumstances. And it’s always wonderful to see Richard Kind, even in a very small role.

Opinion: Mild See It Now!

David: If you think it’s been a long time since mega-stars George Clooney and Brad Pitt were in a film together, you would be right. Actually, the pair worked together in the OCEAN’S films, the last being some 17 years ago.

But the pairing of two superstars does not necessarily guarantee a super movie. Writer/director Jon Watts --- whose main claim to fame are excellent Spider-Man films he helmed --- has conceived a story that is only marginally entertaining.

While WOLFS has some funny moments, the one-note gag has Clooney’s character, known only as ‘Margaret’s Man’, and Pitts’ character, known only as ‘Pam’s Man’, refusing to work together as fixer partners. In this film, they are both trying to clean up the death of a young man.

The ‘Margaret’ referred to here is played by Amy Ryan. The young man dies in her hotel suite, and she calls a fixer to help her. Ryan is not present much after the opening sequence but does play a critical part in the set up.

Austin Abrams as the ‘Kid’ holds his own playing opposite two of cinema’s most beloved figures. WOLFS also features Richard Kind, the character actor who never fails to give a memorable turn. He plays ‘Kid’s Dad’.

At one point, the two fixers find themselves at the wedding of a crime boss’s daughter. They both worked for Dimitri (Zlatko Burić) but he cannot see them together or even suspect they know each other. Their plight is getting caught in an all-male wedding dance which Dimitri is, of course, watching. It’s the funniest scene in a movie that could have been better.

Yes, Clooney and Pitt are old friends and, yes, they know how to play off one another. But the screenplay by Watts doesn’t afford them the opportunity to showcase their many talents.

Opinion:  Wait for VOD