Review: Wolf (1994)
★★★
Jack Nicholson as Will Randall in "Wolf (1994)."
"Wolf" stars Jack Nicholson as Will Randall, who is the top editor in New York City for a New York publishing house, who becomes a werewolf after being bitten by a wolf, coincides with the acquisition of the business by a rich tycoon, who replaces Nicholson with a backstabbing yuppie. Furious, Nicholson snaps at the yuppie, who starts to sprout teeth and hair. The outcome is a perceptive depiction of the emotional milieu within the publishing industry of New York.
Like most werewolf films, "Wolf" contains the necessities for a traditional werewolf film. A full moon, the main star being bitten by a werewolf, animals being afraid of the main star, specifically horses, physical changes, and many other things. Naturally, there's the stereotypical eccentric elderly scientist with the foreign accent who tells Nicholson about werewolves. And attractive ladies to be his victims or lovers. Films like this are either good or bad. With the case of 1994's Wolf, it falls in the "good" section. It's a simple story that's overshadowed by its brilliant performances, with Jack Nicholson stealing the show.
The plot centers on Jack Nicholson's character, Will Randall, an elderly book editor who is bitten by a wolf while traveling through rural Vermont on his way home. Will begins to feel better overall, with sharper senses, more strength, and more vitality after the bite. But he also starts acting more aggressively, like a caveman. Will encounters difficulties in his personal and professional lives as he adjusts to these changes. Stewart Swinton (James Spader), his protégé who is vying for his position, betrays him at work. In the meantime, Will grows close to Laura Alden (Michelle Pfeiffer), the owner of his publishing house's daughter, in a complicated way.
In the film, power, metamorphosis, and animalistic impulses are explored as Will battles to restrain his newfound wolflike urges. He is forced to face the true nature of his illness as he becomes more and more engaged in violent episodes that occur during his transition. "Wolf" explores the darker sides of corporate ambition and human nature while fusing elements of psychological drama and horror to create a distinctive werewolf narrative.
Thirty years later and this film holds up quite nicely. It's not the best horror werewolf film, but's certainly entertaining. I also find this film underrated as well. The film wasn't well received when it came out. There are worse films out there, especially horror. The best part of this film is Jack Nicholson and him pissing on James Spader's shoe. Jokes aside, without looking at the story seriously, this can easily be enjoyed. Had this had more effort put into it, it probably would've been received better or worse. It's hard to tell. But regardless, there's still a lot to take from this film. For example, Rick Baker's makeup is convincing but restrained, the special effects are effective but not spectacular, and the film looks fantastic—but it didn't come with a big price tag. What's left is a clever attempt to set a werewolf story in an odd location, using the minute elements of that location to add additional realism to the narrative. Although Nicholson excels at the material (some of his line readings strike a balance between the sublime and the savage) this material can only carry him so far. James Spader and Michelle Pfeiffer are also terrific in this. After this film, James Spader went on to star as Ultron in "Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)" and as Raymond "Red" Reddington in the 10 year long show "The Blacklist." Spader can make for an excellent villain. And Michelle Pfeiffer, what's to say about her? She can act anything.