Wolf

 

 

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This is a thinking person's werewolf movie. Well directed by Mike Nichols, it features a stellar cast who give excellent performances. Jack Nicholson, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Plummer, James Spader, Kate Nelligan, and David Hyde Pierce all contribute to the successful execution of this sophisticated and subtle horror film. As an added bonus, those of you who are devotees of the TV series, "Friends", should look for David Schwimmer's cameo appearance in the film.

Jack Nicholson plays a middle aged, married, senior book editor for a publishing company. Driving home at night from a business trip in New England, he hits an animal on the road. When he gets out of his car to check on the condition of the animal, he discovers it to be a wolf. What happens next will change the course of his life forever.

When Jack gets back to his office, he is feeling the after effects of his interaction with the wolf. He is also concerned about his job, as his publishing house has been taken over by Christopher Plummer. Jack initially plays his character as a somewhat laid back, nice guy, a good man who doesn't see the knife being plunged into his back by his young, ambition driven underling, played with obsequious perfection by James Spader, until it is too late. Publishing is, indeed, a dog eat dog world.

Betrayed by his underling who has been given his job, Jack finds himself undergoing a subtle, physical metamorphosis. He no longer needs reading glasses, his hearing is extremely acute, and he has a keen, very keen, sense of smell. It is these enhanced senses that lead him to discover that his wife, well played by Kate Nelligan, has shockingly betrayed his love and devotion, causing him to leave her. It is a betrayal that is to have dire consequences for her.

Finding himself more robust and aggressive, literally a new man, Jack goes on the attack and, and with the aid of his loyal underling, played to perfection by David Hyde Pierce, gets his job back. He aggressively asserts himself with Spader and lets him know, in no uncertain terms, who is top dog. There is a memorable scene to this effect. In the process of regaining his life, Jack falls in love with the boss's beautiful daughter, played with gritty charm by Michelle Pfeiffer, and she with him.

Still, Jack finds himself battling his inner demons over his change. The transformation of Jack is subtle, and there is very lttle use of special effects to enhance his metamorphosis. Jack is often able to convey to the viewer what he is undergoing with a flick of the eyebrow, a twitch of the nose, a curl of the lips. It is a wonderful piece of acting and a tribute to the power of suggestion.

Certain events transpire that make Jack fear that his transformation will result in injury to Michelle. She eventually buys into his fear, misinterpreting certain events that take place. What he and she ultimately discover is that they both, in fact, have a great deal to fear, but that their initial fear was misplaced. Look to a great finale.

If you are the type of horror film fan who likes excessive gore, as well as many high tech, special effects, this is not the film for you, as there is very little of that in this film. This is a subtle, multi-layered, symbolic type of horror film that will leave the viewer analyzing what they just saw. It is simply a great werewolf film.

This is a thinking person's werewolf movie. Well directed by Mike Nichols, it features a stellar cast who give excellent performances. Jack Nicholson, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Plummer, James Spader, Kate Nelligan, and David Hyde Pierce all contribute to the successful execution of this sophisticated and subtle horror film. As an added bonus, those of you who are devotees of the TV series, "Friends", should look for David Schwimmer's cameo appearance in the film.

Jack Nicholson plays a middle aged, married, senior book editor for a publishing company. Driving home at night from a business trip in New England, he hits an animal on the road. When he gets out of his car to check on the condition of the animal, he discovers it to be a wolf. What happens next will change the course of his life forever.

When Jack gets back to his office, he is feeling the after effects of his interaction with the wolf. He is also concerned about his job, as his publishing house has been taken over by Christopher Plummer. Jack initially plays his character as a somewhat laid back, nice guy, a good man who doesn't see the knife being plunged into his back by his young, ambition driven underling, played with obsequious perfection by James Spader, until it is too late. Publishing is, indeed, a dog eat dog world.

Betrayed by his underling who has been given his job, Jack finds himself undergoing a subtle, physical metamorphosis. He no longer needs reading glasses, his hearing is extremely acute, and he has a keen, very keen, sense of smell. It is these enhanced senses that lead him to discover that his wife, well played by Kate Nelligan, has shockingly betrayed his love and devotion, causing him to leave her. It is a betrayal that is to have dire consequences for her.

Finding himself more robust and aggressive, literally a new man, Jack goes on the attack and, and with the aid of his loyal underling, played to perfection by David Hyde Pierce, gets his job back. He aggressively asserts himself with Spader and lets him know, in no uncertain terms, who is top dog. There is a memorable scene to this effect. In the process of regaining his life, Jack falls in love with the boss's beautiful daughter, played with gritty charm by Michelle Pfeiffer, and she with him.

Still, Jack finds himself battling his inner demons over his change. The transformation of Jack is subtle, and there is very lttle use of special effects to enhance his metamorphosis. Jack is often able to convey to the viewer what he is undergoing with a flick of the eyebrow, a twitch of the nose, a curl of the lips. It is a wonderful piece of acting and a tribute to the power of suggestion.

Certain events transpire that make Jack fear that his transformation will result in injury to Michelle. She eventually buys into his fear, misinterpreting certain events that take place. What he and she ultimately discover is that they both, in fact, have a great deal to fear, but that their initial fear was misplaced. Look to a great finale.

If you are the type of horror film fan who likes excessive gore, as well as many high tech, special effects, this is not the film for you, as there is very little of that in this film. This is a subtle, multi-layered, symbolic type of horror film that will leave the viewer analyzing what they just saw. It is simply a great werewolf film.

IT'S A FUN MOVIE TO WATCH.THE EYES OF THE WOLF LOOKS COOL AS HELL.THIS MOVIE IS WORTH BUYING.THE ONE BAD THING IS THE BACKROUND MUSIC IT JUST DOESN'T FIT THE MOVIE AT ALL.

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4.0 out of 5 stars off-beat werewolf film
Smart and entertaining, off-beat werewolf film. Don't watch expecting your typical Hollywood horror flick but thoroughly enjoyable surprise of a movie.

Published 17 months ago by nobody

4.0 out of 5 stars Hair club for men
Will Randall (Jack Nicholson) has made it to the top of his publishing career. With nowhere to go, he is sure to be a victim of the latest merger. Read more

Published on July 1 2006 by bernie

4.0 out of 5 stars Intelligent horror film/character study
This is an interesting film, because it's partly a character study of a tired, middle aged publisher and partly a horror film about werewolves. Read more

Published on Oct 18 2003 by Douglas King

5.0 out of 5 stars JACK NICHOLSON was made for this role of strange WOLF
This movie can demonstrate that the talents of JACK NICHOLSON are immenses, ernormous ! This is a film which i 've seen many time and i ave not lassitude ! Read more

Published on April 6 2003 by B. ALAIN

4.0 out of 5 stars Wicked good fun!
Imaging the weirdest of all actor getting even weirder. That's what happenes when Jack Nicholson hits a large black animal and is bitten when he attempts to remove it from the... Read more

Published on Jan 28 2003 by signs_of_winter

5.0 out of 5 stars What is wrong with us ?
1. What did I like about it ?
NOTHING !
2. What I didn't like about it ?
The fact that it had only 22 reviews . What is wrong with us ? Read more

Published on Jan 20 2003 by Vlad

5.0 out of 5 stars What is wrong with us ?
1. What did I like about it ?
NOTHING !
2. What I didn't like about it ?
The fact that it had only 22 reviews . What is wrong with us ? Read more

Published on Nov 4 2002 by Vlad

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice story... certainly not horror!
First, yes this is a nice movie and worth seeing! If you are expecting horror and suspense look somewhere else but if you are looking for a nice story, this one is nice. Read more

Published on Jun 13 2002 by Hassaan Abdeen

1.0 out of 5 stars I want my star back
The star selection thingy owes me one star, because I shouldn't have had to give this movie anything except this poor review. See I want to be a cowboy. Read more

Published on Jan 28 2002 by Kam

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Werewolf movie.
Underrated but very good Werewolf movie with Jack Nicolson
and Michelle Phiffer. It's about a Business man who is bitten
by a Werewolf and suddenly gets strange effects... Read more

Published on Jan 26 2002 by John Lindsey

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