Wolfs

Jon Watts' action-comedy is elevated by George Clooney and Brad Pitt's winning chemistry.

You’d have a hard time arguing that George Clooney and Brad Pitt aren’t two of the most recognizable movie stars of all time. Not only are they both Oscar winners, but their hyper charisma just oozes off the screen in a way that very few other performers can.

“Wolfs” marks the latest collaboration between the two, after starring opposite one another in Steven Soderbergh’s suave “Ocean’s Trilogy,” and “Burn After Reading,” among others. It has the feeling of a movie that was destined for the big screen, instead of heading straight to streaming.

In fact, “Wolfs” was meant for the big screen. When Apple first won the rights to the film back in 2021, part of the deal was for the action-comedy to receive a wide theatrical release. Earlier this year, it was revealed that Apple would be partnering with Sony to give the film that promised big-screen treatment.

However, after the dismal theatrical performances of Apple’s other big-screen efforts such as “Argylle” and “Fly Me to the Moon,” there was a change in strategy. Instead “Wolfs” received a one-week limited theatrical release before debuting on streaming the next.

So what happened? It’s not like “Wolfs” is bad. In fact, the latest film from “Spider-Man: No Way Home” filmmaker Jon Watts, is an absolute blast from start to finish.

The film opens with Margaret (Amy Ryan), who in a panic, calls a mysterious number on her phone after discovering the bloodied body of a young man (Austin Abrams) on the floor of her hotel room. Enter Jack (George Clooney), a lone wolf fixer who has arrived promising to get her out of this sticky situation that could derail the situation. Unbeknownst to either of them, their room is being monitored, which leads to the arrival of Nick (Brad Pitt). 

Jack and Nick instantly can’t stand each other, but are forced to work together, sending Margaret home, and disposing of the body. What they don’t realize is that the young man isn’t actually dead, and he’s got a backpack full of drugs. What ensues is a race through New York on a snowy December night, as Jack and Nick try to get the young man to cooperate to rescue him from an army of no-good gangsters.

The plot of “Wolfs” is simple. Almost too simple. There are a handful of surprises, especially in the directions it takes Abrams’ character, but even brushing that aside, there’s not a whole lot of depth. That is not necessarily a bad thing, as Watts keeps the conflict confined. We aren’t bombarded by numerous subplots, this is as straightforward as movies come. 

Nowadays most big-budget original movies driven by star power can feel bloated. “Wolfs” on the other hand gets straight to the point. If you walk into the movie wanting to see two A-listers trade insults, shoot guns, and get into a string of mishaps, that’s exactly what you’ll get.

The chemistry between Clooney and Pitt is unsurprisingly Wolfs’ greatest asset. It helps that these two have worked with each other before. Their constant bickering never grows stale and unlike the “Ocean’s” movies, this is an R-rated film, giving us the pleasure of these two men spewing out profanities at one another. Sure in most movies, that’d get old fast. Actors like Clooney and Pitt can make cursing sound like poetry.

Outside of the two wolves in the room (get it?), Abrams does a terrific job at carrying himself opposite the larger-than-life figures. Despite the movie never even revealing his character’s name, Abrams brings a lot of personality and charm, and it becomes easy to start to care for him. Even after he makes his entrance running and screaming, clad in only socks and tightie whities. 

As far as streaming movies go, “Wolfs” is one of the more satisfying ones we’ve gotten in some time. It’s exactly what is advertised, nothing more and nothing less. Watts isn’t trying to break new ground, he clearly just wanted to make a pleasing action-comedy driven by Clooney and Pitt, and he delivered.