Wolf on DVD (1994)

Grrrrrrr ....

Noel Clay from Colchester, England , 24/11/2004

A werewolf movie starring Jack Nicholson? Sounds great! But what's that? Set in a publishing company? How is that going to work?

Well, the truth is it works surprisingly well. Nicholson plays an editor who is being replaced by a younger, more ruthless man at his company. At first he's ready to simply accept it with quiet dignity, but as he's been bitten by a wolf the night before, he begins to undergo some radical changes and suddenly finds himself having the energy to fight for his position at the company and for the love of his boss' daughter. However, he also finds that he has the urge to hunt and kill at nighttime, and becomes terrified of the monster he carries inside. It's really an intelligent little story about a kind of mid-life crisis which was appreciated by the likes of Roger Ebert and various other respected film buffs.

However ... critics aside, this isn't exactly a very popular movie. Most people just find it dull and uninteresting, with elements of several genres thrown together in a big mess. I can kind of see where they're coming from ... it's a little dull in places, and probably could have been cut down by at least fifteen minutes or so, but to be honest I was never that bored watching it. Wolf is much more intelligent than most werewolf movies, and does have a few interesting ideas and metaphors that haven't really been done before in werewolf movies. The ending is a little peculiar, and in a completely different tone to the rest of the movie, but it's made up for by a pretty cool twist.

The reason Mike Nichols is such a hit-and-miss director is because he seems to make films that he cares about, which aren't necessarily aimed at a particular audience. Generally they do seem to find one somewhere, though, and I expect there are plenty of people out there who will enjoy this film as much as I did, or even more. Jack Nicholson is great as always. There are moments of that old hilarious, energetic Jack that we saw a lot of through the seventies and eighties, but mostly it's the sombre, ageing character that he often gets cast as these days. He does both of them very well, and I don't think anyone else would have been more suited for the part. James Spader is good is the slimy villain of the story, and Michelle Pfeiffer is her usual confident femme fatale character.

Though it may not be everyone's cup of tea, Wolf is a smart, fairly enjoyable twist on the werewolf genre.

Read all reviews

amit#2 from BRISTOL , 15/02/2004

I felt a little dissapointed when I missed this film in the cinema and when it arrived in the post I was eager to watch it straight away. So what's the film about? Man gets bitten by wolf, man becomes wolf, errr, that it.........

The film relies on makeup rather than special effects which is highly effective. Unfortunately, the film is simply too cheesy. Don't get me wrong, it kinda enjoyable and the chemistry between Jack Nicholson and Michelle Pfeiffer is amusing whilst James Spader is razor sharp as his Machiavellian foe.

The film seems more like a comedy than a thriller which I don't think it's supposed to be. However it's why I liked the film. Just don't expect a cinematic masterpiece.

Read all reviews

Good film have seen it quite a lot of times.

felly1 from LONDON , 06/03/2005

Superb film Jack Nicholson is a good actor this film can be watched a lot of times but still can be enjoyed.

Read all reviews

Tracy#10 from DARTFORD , 26/02/2004

This film is ok but veeeerrrrrrryyyyyyy slow to get going. The plot is a bit too obvious with no surprises. Not one of Nicholson's better choices!

Read all reviews

Should be in the Romance Genre not in Horror

A customer from Shropshire , 17/09/2005

The film started of really well without going into too much detail. However I found it later turned into a typical romance with just a few scenes that were actually scary.

I felt with the potential this film had, this could have been much better if they had concentrated on making this into a horror movie rather than a romance.

Read all highest rated reviews

Grrrrrrr ....

Noel Clay from Colchester, England , 24/11/2004

A werewolf movie starring Jack Nicholson? Sounds great! But what's that? Set in a publishing company? How is that going to work?

Well, the truth is it works surprisingly well. Nicholson plays an editor who is being replaced by a younger, more ruthless man at his company. At first he's ready to simply accept it with quiet dignity, but as he's been bitten by a wolf the night before, he begins to undergo some radical changes and suddenly finds himself having the energy to fight for his position at the company and for the love of his boss' daughter. However, he also finds that he has the urge to hunt and kill at nighttime, and becomes terrified of the monster he carries inside. It's really an intelligent little story about a kind of mid-life crisis which was appreciated by the likes of Roger Ebert and various other respected film buffs.

However ... critics aside, this isn't exactly a very popular movie. Most people just find it dull and uninteresting, with elements of several genres thrown together in a big mess. I can kind of see where they're coming from ... it's a little dull in places, and probably could have been cut down by at least fifteen minutes or so, but to be honest I was never that bored watching it. Wolf is much more intelligent than most werewolf movies, and does have a few interesting ideas and metaphors that haven't really been done before in werewolf movies. The ending is a little peculiar, and in a completely different tone to the rest of the movie, but it's made up for by a pretty cool twist.

The reason Mike Nichols is such a hit-and-miss director is because he seems to make films that he cares about, which aren't necessarily aimed at a particular audience. Generally they do seem to find one somewhere, though, and I expect there are plenty of people out there who will enjoy this film as much as I did, or even more. Jack Nicholson is great as always. There are moments of that old hilarious, energetic Jack that we saw a lot of through the seventies and eighties, but mostly it's the sombre, ageing character that he often gets cast as these days. He does both of them very well, and I don't think anyone else would have been more suited for the part. James Spader is good is the slimy villain of the story, and Michelle Pfeiffer is her usual confident femme fatale character.

Though it may not be everyone's cup of tea, Wolf is a smart, fairly enjoyable twist on the werewolf genre.

Read all highest rated reviews