The moment many filmgoers have been waiting for has finally arrived: George Clooney and Brad Pitt’s long-anticipated on-screen reunion has come by way of Jon Watts’ Wolfs, following them as a pair of “fixers” who must work together to finish a seemingly simple clean-up job. As they get deeper into the evening they realize this one goes deeper than either of them imagined. While Clooney and Pitt’s reunion brings a lot of charm, the rest of the film wastes this opportunity with a lackluster story devoid of any sense of visual creativity.
Having moved on from the MCU after concluding his Spider-Man trilogy, there was hope that Jon Watts’ next film would showcase some individuality and personality. His Spider-Man films were wildly successful at the box office, but they were never praised for his particular artistic vision. Getting out of the Marvel Machine would give him a chance to show us what he’s got, and unfortunately, it seems like it wasn’t just studio aesthetics that made those films visually unappealing.
Every shot of Wolfs is like looking at a poorly lit concrete slab, except for the opening scene which takes place in a penthouse hotel suite. Watts may not have what it takes to deliver enticing visuals that could set him apart as a filmmaker, and we can’t give him the benefit of the doubt any longer.
The primary issue with Wolfs is that the plot doesn’t come together in any coherent way. It’s not quite that it’s hard to follow, more that there aren’t a ton of reasons to keep things going. The story hinges on this one question: Why did both of these “fixers” get called to come for the same job? As they try to unravel this mystery and finish the job at hand, none of the reveals get them much closer to the truth. Instead, they take them to the next expert or the next crime lord to keep the story limping along.
The only thing that works in this film is the chemistry between its stars. Clooney and Pitt fall back into their quippy ways just like old times, and it’s as if you dropped their characters from the Ocean’s films into this movie and gave them a slightly different occupation. The bit is effective, and I’ll never complain about seeing these two together. The few great moments they deliver only fuels the frustration with the rest of the film.
It feels like the film was made just to reunite them but then they forgot to build out the rest of the movie. There’s nothing memorable or quotable about any of their moments together, which is a huge miss when you have stars of this caliber sharing the screen. The supporting cast brings little to the table, although Amy Ryan’s performance in the opening scene as the instigator of the whole evening is notable. Her innocence plays well off Clooney and Pitt as they attempt to help her clean up her mess.
I will admit I’m conflicted about having this strong of a reaction to a movie like Wolfs, the kind of movie cinephiles are clamoring for. On the one hand, we want original stories starring big-name actors and actresses that don’t span the multiverse or have earth-shattering stakes. Conversely, surely the bar for these stories is higher than this, right?
It’s not fair to ask for every movie to be the best thing ever, but I do think it’s fair to ask for more than this when so many successful people are involved. Wolfs is the perfect example of a film that causes frustration for folks who just want to see solid movies that entertain, a classic middle-of-the-road thriller that incorporates some comedic moments.
Wolfs is a step in the wrong direction for Watts, Clooney, Pitt, and anyone else involved. There are the building blocks of a better version of this story, but there wasn’t enough time and care put in during production to elevate a mediocre script and middling visual style to anything meaningful.
Despite its many, many flaws, Clooney and Pitt sharing the screen may be enough to make this worth firing up at home over the weekend.
Review Courtesy of Cameron K. Ritter
Image via IMDb