Starring: Jack Nicholson, Michelle Pfeiffer, James Spader, Kate Nelligan, Richard Jenkins, Christopher Plummer.
Director: Mike Nichols.
I'll finish off the proposed loose trilogy of early nineties retreads of classic Universal Monster Movies with the oft-overlooked (perhaps for good reason) Wolf. Much like the recently reviewed Bram Stoker's Dracula and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, it's a big studio attempt to rework old material with big stars and high production values. It is interesting to note that all three of these films were created by Columbia Tri-Star, and were made near to one another. Dracula predated the other two by about two years, with the latter two being done the same year.
As I said in a previous entry, I recently read a thought-piece that considered the three a loose fitting trilogy, and it's from that perspective that I'm watching them. So far, I would agree with that assessment: even though the quality of the films have varied thus far (one stylishly ridiculous, the other occasionally attractive garbage) but there is a sense of connection with theme and presentation that does make them analogous. So, let's see how Wolf fares.
I think I may have literally only seen this once, so I have no idea what I'm getting into. The credits say Rick Baker did the makeup effects, so I have that to look forward to. So, maybe this will be fun? Maybe?
So, Jack Nicholson runs over a Wolf on a cold winters night. I can tell that this film is going to take its time, considering how slowly Jack is going to check on his unfortunate prey. Jack seems utterly perplexed by this turn of events, and doesn't notice the Wolf briefly open its eyes and look at him. It's not a bad suspense move: we understand the Wolf isn't quite dead, so when it springs to life and bites its assailant, it does make for a good jump scare. Jack's seen enough and peels right the heck out of there, unaware that he is being watched by some fairly unconvincing looking Wolves.
Jack is apparently senior management for what seems a publishing company, I think, and has the utmost loyalty from his people. He's worried about losing his job due to some sort of hostile takeover: apparently there's a big party where everyone will find out if they're fired or not. Jack's people swear that they'll leave if he's fired, which Jack forbids them from doing. James Spader is a (shockingly) smug, slimy individual who is seemingly Jacks protege.
The party is filled with people making dry, droll wit statmenets, some of which is actually pretty clever. Jack makes a pretty interesting little monologue that upsets a bunch of the stiffs: kind of accurate one, if you ask me: he suggests the world has already ended, that art is dead and has been replaced with pop culture and day time TV. Jack is then fired from his job (well, offered a demotion in Eastern Europe), as he figured he would, upsets some horses with his presence.
Jack then meets Michelle Pfeiffer, who offers him a drink and happens to be the Daughter of the man who just took Jack's job. Jack's name is Will, by the way, but I think I'll probably just call him Jack. Jack stumbles from the drink she gave him, accidentally cops a feel...after Michelle calls him "The Last Civilized Man" which, while not as bad as the obvious ironic statements of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein but it's still pretty obvious.
Jack's Wife is pissed that Spader, Jack's Protege, has successfully taken Jack's job. Jack confronts Stewart (Spader) about the fact that Stewart basically stole his job (but nicely, because Jack is not an aggressive guy because irony)...his Wife really wants Jack to yell and scream, but he won't. Jack then discovers a new sense of sexual vitality, making love to his Wife again for the first time in what it said to be awhile. He goes to work with heightened smell and eye sight, and feels twenty years younger. It's a fairly typical transformation for a Werewolf movie: aging nice guy gains a newfound physical prowess and a killer instinct...interesting that it's within a publishing company, I suppose, instead of some other corporate interest. It would actually probably make a little bit more sense if it were a Wall Street kind of thing. But we still have the corporate takeover, the younger "wolf" taking the position of the older "wolf" (and presumably, his Wife, too, if my instincts don't fail me)...yeah, pretty overt metaphor. It isn't a bad one, though, really.
Oops, Jack bit Spader...so now he's a Werewolf, too. And, uh, yep, Spader has been nailing his Wife. Figures. But now we have a pair of literal rivals on multiple levels, along those young wolf/old wolf lines I was discussing. It's a very straight line of an allegory, maybe a little TOO straight, but it kind of works.
Jack strolls into his office with a newfound sense of purpose, inspiring his secretary ("About fucking time, sir" she says off handedly. It was kind of glorious). Then he confronts Spader, who is a slimy shit as usual. He feigns love and respect, and even has the balls to suggest Jack stick around as his subordinate. Jack then meets with his assistant and David Hyde Pierce (once again offering his unique brand of stuffiness) and suggests a new plan of attempting to create his own firm. He tells Pierce to make some calls and tell some lies, which comes to a great exchange:
Pierce: Is any of this true?
Jack: Not yet.
Pierce: You're my God.
It was really well done.
Michelle and Jack meet up again, spending time together in a mutual act of defiance against her Father and his former boss. Jack turns on the charm, pointing out the irony in Michelle's hopes for someone to see past her beauty to her true self, but realizing that her true self could only be discovered due to her beauty. She is formidable, though, and aggressively rebuffs him. The scene continues, though, in an effort to continue to establish who Michelle is...but it's difficult to really ascertain who that is. One would assume Jack is right, it's just that she doesn't find that particularly challenging.
This movie keeps saying "Wolves? In New England?!" as if it's the weirdest thing in the whole world. There ARE Wolves in New England, screenwriter. Seriously. Anyway, he confides in her about his newfound lease on life, and she decides to invite him to stay for dinner. Then he starts to feint, which gets her sympathy and they have a moment. I don't feel like we gained a lot from their scenes together, really. It felt awkward: maybe it's a lack of chemistry between the stars? Maybe it's the awkward nature of their meeting. I dunno. The scenes just didn't work that well.
The full moon rises, Jack looks like Wolverine (in a lap dissolve very reminiscent of The Wolf Man) and runs out to hunt a deer. It's dated: slow motion, soft lighting, graceful leaps from both the animal and our Werewolf, but it works well enough. There's certainly enough animal savagery to his leaping onto the poor deer and snapping it's neck. As a first foray into Werewolf stuff, the scene is strong enough...
It's beginning to feel a bit like this is a Werewolf movie made for people who've never seen a Werewolf movie. I suppose that would be a general thematic hook for this unofficial trilogy, really: Horror movies for people who don't like horror movies. All three films are very generalized in their approach to horror tropes: scary and weird enough to generally work for genre fans, but not quite scary or weird enough to alienate genre novices. It's not a bad thing-I'm all for the indoctrination of outsiders, and everybody starts somewhere when it comes to this stuff-but it doesn't do much for me as a hardcore genre "expert." I would never ACTUALLY refer to myself as an expert in the genre...just well versed in it.
The key thing that differentiates Wolf from most Werewolf films-other than the aforementioned generalization-is the more upbeat nature of the film. Even as Jack is hunting the deer, it's a scene of freedom and self-actualization rather than horror. Jack feels great, after all. He's not horrified by his change-concerned, maybe, because it's certainly abnormal for a middle aged publisher to suddenly have super senses-but rather invigorated by it. He's not Larry Talbot fearing the change, he is half tempted to embrace it. His conversation with the old expert-replacing the old Gypsy person from The Wolf Man-is a halting discussion about how to stop it, with Jack being told that the Wolf may be a demon. However, after the old man asks for Jack to "gift him" with his bite, he suggests that the Demon is not evil, "Damnation is not a part of my belief system" the old man intones. Jack refuses to bite and instead leaves, carrying an amulet meant to protect him. Again, the allusion to the original film is actually presented.
It is kind of funny though that, despite the characters transformation into feeling younger, Jack Nicholson still gets out of chairs like an older man. He already was in his Fifties when he made this film, shockingly enough. Covered in mutton chops, he goes to the zoo, upsetting the animals. He's then confronted by cops. He then super powers his way out of there. One of the cops was David Schwimmer, by the way. He then fights some muggers with some good ole fashioned Jack swagger. Once again, it's discretionary, though: it doesn't present any gore or violence.
Jack then gets his new offer, keeping his job, and gloats over Stewart's downfall. And pees on his shoe. It's a nice moment. Of course, then he finds a bloody rag and two fingers removed from the hand of one of the muggers.
Y'know, I was just going to say "Y'know, we didn't get much of a follow up with the Wife" and then she returns to beg forgiveness. Much like the scene with Stewart, it's a cathartic one, even thought it's also alarming. His order to her to "keep away" has a clear double meaning: here is where he has found a source of doubt and horror in his new condition. He wants her to stay away not just because of her betrayl-though there certainly is that-but also that he could certainly do her harm. Michelle witnesses the encounter and lets herself into his hotel room only to find that he's handcuffed himself to the radiator. The scene kind of stalls out then. The romance angle just isn't really working. I think it is a lack of chemistry between the two. They're giving it their all (though Michelle doesn't have an awful lot to work with) but it isn't quite there. Michelle handcuffing his hands behind his back, smirking at his helplessness and beginning to undress him is a bit more interesting, if a little cliche.
So, uh, is Jack howling at the moon.
Ah. Here is Richard Jenkins! He's a Detective. He's here to tell Jack that his Wife was murdered. Jack is going to take this personally, thinking that he is responsible. But, come on, we know it's Spader, right? Jenkins plays it pretty coy, fairly straight-forward Detective performance. It's not a super transformative role.
James Spader is so good with the slimy smarm. Of course he would be, considering he's a character actor who specifically plays that...well, for the most part. He did have some departures from that role but...well, we all know who James Spader is. He gives a wonderfully menacing performance once the reveal of his wolf affliction is in full effect. His creepy contacts are a nice touch, too. The fact that the Detectives don't notice his otherworldly eyes, or clear motives for framing Jack, bugs me a lot...it's not like the movie really NEEDED that source of tension. It could have been easy enough to just have Spader wanting to destroy Jack and, being younger and stronger, has the clear advantage. We don't need the Police involved at all, really, especially not when they're going to be so inept. If the plan was to eventually implicate Spader in the crimes, okay, but we're clearly ramping up to a fight to the death. I mean, we have to be under the circumstances.
Why does NOBODY notice that James Spader is obviously not human?! The Police, The Gatekeeper, The Groundskeeper...everyone just talks to him like he's a normal guy. I mean, sure, they're suspicious of his sudden appearance in a place he has no business being but nobody even reacts to the fact that he looks like a Werewolf. It's absurd, even for a film that obviously wants to steer clear of any deeper genre conventions. In fact, it has more in common with suspense thrillers than horror films, despite the whole Werewolf thing. It has the supernatural presence, but in the end you could have generally the same plot with normal humans and had a passable thriller. The Wolf just adds allegory. But really: Guy gets ousted from his job and marriage by his douchey protege, falls for a younger woman, decides to fight back against his ruination and the protege responds by attempting to frame him for his Wife's death. It's still the same movie, just without Werewolves. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for the Werewolf element but I feel like you could have cut the cops out under the supernatural thriller circumstances.
I like that Michelle lunges at Spader with a pitchfork. Actually, this isn't a bad fight scene, even if it feels the need to rely on slow motion to attempt to sell the action...again, it doesn't want to descend into full genre territory, so the fight needs to be stylized and generalized. It feels very TV movie like, actually, but it was 1994 so that is forgivable as just a side effect of its age. For the most part, anyway.
Final Thoughts: I think the key to the analysis of this film, and the others of that loose trilogy, is what I said earlier: it wants to utilize genre conventions without fully being a genre film. This, and again I'm repeating myself, is not a bad thing: sometimes the key to success is knowing ones audience, and this movie clearly did that. In fact, one could argue it was somewhat more successful than the other two comparative films. Wolf wanted to be a suspense thriller with a little something extra, something that would differentiate it from others of its kind, so it went half-horror with its execution. This does make it relatively unsatisfying to a horror viewer for exactly the same traits that would delight, say, your Mother or Grandmother. It's JUST genre enough to make the uninitiated feel like they saw something different. So, maybe it's not for genre buffs, but it's still a perfectly acceptable film as films go. Of course, that's primarily a surface read: not everything in this film works, even from that generalized perspective. This isn't flaws in the genre, though, but rather in cinema itself. Actually, the genre elements work well: the Werewolf makeup, effects and scenes are pretty good considering their role. However, the romance feels flat. Actually, most of the writing kind of does. The plot is very simple and even utilizes conventions it doesn't need, almost as if it's checking off boxes on the "suspense thriller" list. The characters aren't super well drawn out, and actually more than a few drop off the face of the earth mid way through. But, beyond three or four key players, none of them mattered anyway: the world they inhabited didn't breathe on its own. So, I dunno: bad idea, good execution?
Final Rating: Two and a Half Stars. The spirit was willing, the flesh was weak...and so was its mind.
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