At first, Wolf seems like a standard issue 90s drama. . A film directed by Mike Nichols starring Jack Nicholson as Will Randall, an aging Editor in Chief who's publishing house is being taken over; Michele Phifer as Laura, the daughter of the tycoon who is doing the take over and ends up in a situationship with Will; and James Spader as Stewart, Will’s protege who is sleeping with wills wife and is taking over his position. That seems swell, but toss in a werewolf and you got yourself one if the most interesting oddities of the 90s.
The film plays everything as straight as can be. Will gets bitten by a wolf after accidentally hitting it, sending his life down the path of heightened senses, enhanced endurance, and a personality change that makes him all the more savage. It plays out like you'd expect a werewolf movie to play out, but with the 90s couples drama as the backdrop.
The acting throughout is superb, Spader and Nicholson are known for chewing the scenery, but both are surprisingly subdued (until things get hairy that is). Phifer is fantastic as well, playing a realistic younger foil to Nicholson's aging publishing EiC.
Given how films about everyday adults have seemingly gone the way of the dodo, Wolf is a satisfying throwback. The whole fantastical element of the werewolf is treated with maturity that is rarely seen nowadays. Honesty, its as refreshing as the big fight in the film's third act, which gets silly but never falls over the “too much” edge.
So if you're looking for a 90s as hell movie with a fun plot, excellent acting, and just enough scares to justify being in the series, then give Wolf a try!
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