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Wolfen (Widescreen)

Albert Finney , Diane Venora , Michael Wadleigh    R (Restricted)   DVD
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
Price: CDN$ 126.18
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Wolfen is definitely the oddest and most socially conscious of the three big werewolf movies released in 1981 (the others were The Howling and An American Werewolf in London). Rumpled detective Albert Finney is investigating some brutal NYC murders, which leads him to discover that the collapsing buildings of the South Bronx are home to a pack of very vindictive wolflike creatures. American Indian mythology and environmental issues are more to the point here than silver-bullet lycanthropy. As a police procedural, the movie's a bust, its rhythms wrong and Finney's tortured Brooklyn accent unconvincing. But as a horror-mood piece, it can get under your skin. Some trippy photography, plus a bunch of interesting actors at the beginnings of their film careers (Diane Venora, Gregory Hines, and a lean and hungry Edward James Olmos), outweigh the druggy pace and period hairstyles. Director Michael Wadleigh (Woodstock) never made another feature. --Robert Horton

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Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews
Format:VHS Tape
A native New Yorker, I was 9 when I saw the trailer in the movie theater. It definitely haunted me; I finally saw the movie yesterday at the age of 40. While a flawed and dated movie in some ways, it is nontheless entertaining. The vintage 1980 New York locations, including the visual account of the South Bronx during the "condemned and crack-addicted era" are enough reasons you should watch Wolfen. And how the heck they filmed those scenes on the Brooklyn Bridge is beyond me!
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4.0 out of 5 stars Great film, not as good as laser disc release Sep 28 2007
Format:DVD
When I bought my first 4-channel Dolby Surround processor (made by Radio Shack!) many years ago, this was one of the first movies I played.

I was very impressed, especially by the scene near the beginning where detective Dewey Wilson is flying from Staten Island by helicopter. The room is totally filled with sound, especially in comparison to what comes before this.

Wolfen has one of the best Dolby Surround mixes ever, which was noted by a review in Perfect Vision magazine which used the Warner Brothers laser disc of the film as a benchmark. It is no surprise that the director was Michael Wadleigh, responsible for Woodstock, a film also with an exceptional sound mix.

Unfortunately, Warner Brothers dropped the ball with the DVD reissue, because -- according to at least one reference book -- there were prints made of this film with 6-channel Dolby Stereo. The sound mix on the DVD is just 4-channel Dolby Surround ("Pro Logic" these days).

The DVD's sound is very good, though not as focused as that on the laser disc, which is something that can be said of the visual aspect of the DVD -- the laser disc was much brighter and more precise, especially in the darker scenes.

Aside from the sound, the movie is notable for its point-of-view of the wolfen (Garrett Brown, the Steadicam operator, gets a major credit at the beginning), a better than average score by James Horner, a composer who I normally dislike, and the sexy Diane Venora.
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Format:DVD
1981 was "The Great Werewolf Year," when three major films heralded a revival of the legendary monster. "The Howling" and "An American Werewolf in London" have both become classics, while the third, "Wolfen," remains an oddity. It is definitely the strangest of the three and makes unusual changes to the werewolf mythology to the point that it might not be about werewolves at all. The usual standards of the genre -- silver bullets, wolfsbane, transformations, curses -- are nowhere to be seen, although there are hints of spiritual powers and cunning intelligence beyond the natural world. And while "American Werewolf in London" and "The Howling" contained extensive comedy and many genre-references along with their horror, "Wolfen" plays its story straight and dead serious. It has social issues mixed into its thrills 'n' chills premise: a police detective (Albert Finney) investigating murders in New York City that point toward a wolf-like killer, or possibly a whole pack of them. Director Michael Wadleigh (his only other film is the classic concert documentary "Woodstock") uses the horror movie backdrop as a venue for commentary on class, environmentalism, industrialization, and Native American politics.

This is an ambitious bill to fill, and "Wolfen" doesn't quite manage to pull it off. You can appreciate Wadleigh's goals, but he often trips over trying to do too much. The political grandstanding makes for a thoughtful horror movie, but it also slows the film down and overbalances it. Sometimes, you just want action and scares, and "Wolfen" frequently drags. It would have rocked at ninety-minutes, but at nearly two hours, it goes on for too long. The open moves rapidly, and the ending delivers the right amount of apocalyptic violence you expect, but in the center the spaces between the wolf attacks start feeling longer and longer.

Some of various elements never fit together, and a few plot points just left on the ground. The mystery surrounding the creatures is, however, appropriate -- sometimes it's better for a horror film to avoid spelling out everything for you.

Where "Wolfen" works best is in Wadleigh's superb visual style and the realistic performances. The use of a polarization effect and a steadicam to represent the wolves' POV is quite stunning and eerie. Wadleigh also expertly films New York City and its run-down slums. The film absolutely breathes with a battered, decayed atmosphere. Wadleigh really goes all out with unusual visua; approaches, and it gives the film a polished and inventive feel. Albert Finney and Diane Venora are both good in their roles; Finney especially projects a wonderful world-weariness that matches the setting around him. The film thankfully doesn't load him down with excess psychological baggage. We don't need to have his troubles explained to us; we can SEE them in the world in which he lives. Edward James Olmos is also memorable as a Native American who draws Finney's suspicions early in the movie. Gregory Hines, however, is too exaggerated in his semi-comic role (the only comedy in the film) of the coroner working with Finney. The movie also has an excellent early score from James Horner (composer of "Titanic" and "Aliens").

The DVD has an extremely good transfer, which is surprising considering the film's age. The print looks almost pristine and is gorgeously formatted in widescreen. Warner Bros. usually doesn't put this much effort into back catalog movies like this. The Dolby Surround Stereo is adequate (I occasionally noticed some synch problems) and a bit low in volume. The extras are skimpy: the trailer, a page listing the cast and crew, and a few screens of text on the history of werewolf movies. (An earlier edition advertised audio commentary on the back of the snap case, but this was a misprint.)

"Wolfen" is worth a look for horror fans, or people who want some social commentary and intelligence with their thrills. If you can make it through the slower sections, you'll find it a rewarding viewing experience.

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Most recent customer reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars Gothic Horror book turns into Horrendous Film
I gave this one star because that's as low as this site goes. I was so absolutely taken with Whitley Streiber's novel that I could hardly wait for the film to come out. Read more
Published on Mar 10 2004 by David Watt
1.0 out of 5 stars Terrible book 2 movie!
i wish i could say i enjoyed this movie but if you read the book this movie is insulting to the original plot! Read more
Published on Mar 7 2004 by B Sheridan
2.0 out of 5 stars Read The Book Instead
As much as I would like to say this was a great horror movie, it, unfortunately, falls far short of the potential of the genuine feeling of fear created by the book it was based... Read more
Published on Feb 12 2004 by Joseph A. Aycock
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutle horror satisfaction!!!
I loved it. What a great movie. Wolfen is scary and it has that dark and slow plot that makes it effective. Just do not get attached to many of the main characters. Read more
Published on Dec 8 2003 by Pha-Q
5.0 out of 5 stars Nice Doggy
It is said that our colonial ancestors purchased the island of Manhattan from the Manhattan Indians for 24 dollars, and it seems the somewhat lupine Native Americans of Mike... Read more
Published on Nov 2 2003 by Dark Mechanicus JSG
4.0 out of 5 stars Not my favorite, but still a pretty good movie
I liked the idea behind the werewolf being a spirit connected with the Native Americans--I wanted to see more gore and more of the actual werewolf character itself. Read more
Published on Dec 12 2002 by E. Powell
3.0 out of 5 stars NOT a horror movie at all!
Well then, the first thing you'll notice about Wolfen, is that It Is far from being a horror, werewolf movie, the pace sometimes is there, but the rest....... Read more
Published on Nov 24 2002 by alessandro marinho
5.0 out of 5 stars WOLFEN!!!
First of all I'm going to say that I HATE WEREWOLF MOVIES!!! This was on HBO, so I thought I'd just watch it to make fun of it, but for some reason I didn't I actually got into it... Read more
Published on Nov 22 2002
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best films ever!
I like most horror movies I see. Ussually cause they are entertaining because of terrible acting, horrible special effects and make up, and a bad plot. Read more
Published on Sep 21 2002
5.0 out of 5 stars For Them There Can be No Lies
Every once in a while there comes to the horror genre a film that is something more, which leaves the viewer unnexpectedly pondering. Read more
Published on Sep 19 2002 by Marc Ruby™
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