The 1994 romantic horror was directed by Mike Nichols and was written by Elaine May, Jim Harrison and Wesley Strick. It’s the story of Will ( Jack Nicholson ), a NY book editor that gets biten by a werwfolf.
Warning, Spoilers Ahead
PLOT:
After getting bit, the story starts to kick in. At first, Will only shows minor werewolf symptoms. Enhanced hearing, seeing, and even smell to the point he can tell what kind of alcohol you had this morning, while taste and feel at the very least, aren’t portrayed onscreen.
Will is demoted from his position by his boss, Raymond Alden ( Christopher Plummer ), in exchange for a position in Eastern Europe. Meanwhile, Stewart ( James Spader ), ( the least likeable character of the film imo ) is having an affair with Will’s wife, Charlotte ( Kate Nelligan ). Understandably leading to a semi-divorce between the two. Being angry at him, Will bits Stewart in the hand.
To make things worse, the guy replacing Will? Stewart. Will out of spite refuses the job. That night he meets Raymond’s daughter, Laura ( Michelle Pfeiffer ) who quickly turns into his romantic interest. Animals are morbidly terrified of his presence, further confirming that he’s probably a werewolf.
It’s also noteworthy that the concept of werewolves seemingly doesn’t exist in this universe. At no point while discussing his symptoms, or elsewhere in the film is the term ‘werewolves’ ever mentioned.
As Catwoman and Joker get closer, alogn with it come increased symptoms of the werewolf. He slowly turning more violent. After Charlotte’s mysterious murder, a police invetigation follows suit. Leading them straight to Will.
Oh, and I’m writing this now because I personally forgot about it by the time it came up, Stewart is a werewolf too now, bitten by Will. Stewart wants Laura, Will comes to her defence. The two clash it out in their beastly forms, Will gets the upper hand and vanishes into the night. The End
CONCLUSSION:
Wolf was a unique take on the werewolf subgenre. Unlike many which focus on the brutal graphics of werewolves killing their victims, ‘Wolf’ had a surprisingly low amount of violence. Instead, choosing to focus on Jack Nicholson’s character and what the beast inside him does to his personal life and those around him.
Sure, the film didn’t allow for either Nicholson or Pfieffer to give off their best peformances, it was still the best werewolf film I’ve ever seen. Which in itself doesn’t say much. 6.5/10
Thumbnail by Katarina Hlavata
All photos used follow this License – https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en
All photos are from Wikimedia Commons – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page