Wolfen

The vicious, bloody homicide of a prominent businessman, his wife, and bodyguard in New York's Battery Park brings shaggy detective Dewey Wilson out to investigate. The three victims were partially dismembered, and forensics finds non-human evidence on the bodies and body parts. From that captivating start, Michael Wadleigh's 1981 mystery-thriller, "Wolfen," holds viewer interest throughout. Other corpses surface during the course of the investigation, and, mysteriously, while some body parts seem to have been gnawed or eaten, diseased or cancerous organs were rejected. While rarely straying off course, this engrossing film adds a dose of Native American mysticism and lore to unraveling the series of murders. Although Wilson is not a particularly demanding role, Albert Finney brings a weary depth of character that enhances what could have been a stock character. Diane Venora is adequate as Rebecca Neff, Wilson's co-worker and love interest, but Gregory Hines is excellent as the forensics expert, and Tom Noonan brightens his few scenes as a wolf enthusiast.

Based on a novel by Whitley Strieber, Wadleigh, who also co-wrote the script with David Eyre, alludes to the killers' identity, but wisely keeps them off screen throughout most of the film. When only a pair of evil red eyes peer through the darkness, the imagination creates the horror. The killings and victims are subjectively seen through the killers's eyes with cinematographer Gerry Fisher's striking use of thermographic images, which add a surreal element. However, Fisher's non-thermographic photography is equally beautiful and turns the empty shells of churches and apartment buildings in the South Bronx into an otherworldly landscape consistent with the supernatural aspects of the story.

Unfortunately, the eerie buildup and savagery of the murders create expectations that the final revelation cannot meet. However, despite a climax that brings the story to a soft-landing, "Wolfen" delivers for most of its running time. With a fine understated performance by Finney, evocative photography by Fisher, and a taut script by Wadleigh and Eyre, "Wolfen" is a gem from the early 1980's that deserves to be rediscovered.

After years of reading and watching all the werewolf stuff I can get my hands on, I finally got around to reading and then watching Wolfen, and I was blown away by the gorgeous, chilling cinematography. You may take me at my word that I have seldom seen a film that was able to build the tension of what you don't see, and reward you when you finally do see it: I have never seen real wolves used so well, or shot so beautifully. As in the book, the Wolfen are both terrifying and yet somehow noble, and you respect the antagonism between them and the human characters (played very well by Albert Finney and co.), and while the ending is somewhat anticlimactic as opposed to its book counterpart, I was still quite pleased with the film as a whole. The introduction of the Native American element into the movie's version of the story made sense and was enjoyable (though E.J. Olmos's nudity was a little much), and I should also mention that the shots of New York were atmospheric and gorgeous as well, and when combined with the werewolf element, make a truly one-of-a-kind horror film. A must for werewolf fans, though they're not werewolves in the strictest sense, but a creatures as unique as their film: The Wolfen.

Unusual film that takes a very different path from the traditional werewolf movie. Low budget in feel, which is good, this starts incredibly well with horror, gore and bewilderment. The use of the negative image when we see through the eyes of the wolves is great, its less plastic than ordinary SFX and far more realistic than CGI, its also cheap (I've used it myself!) but the best thing about it is that it is literally an inversion of reality, which is just what you want here. Finney is fine but maybe should have been encouraged to put a little more effort in. As for his co-star, Diane Venora, in her first film, her lack of presence is worrying. I guess first time director (apart from Woodstock work) Michael Wadleigh was not used to getting the best out of his actors and indeed never made another film. Not to take away from this little gem though, not perfect by any means but different enough and occasionally startling enough to make at least one viewing essential.

Werewolf movies were big in the early 80's and this is one of the good ones. This horror/thriller has striking cinematography and sound, fine direction, and a good script, and very good Special Effects.

A series of seemingly unrelated murders are being committed in New York City, from the penthouses of the super-rich, to the bombed out appearing South Bronx. Burned out detective Dewey Wilson (Finney) and terrorism expert Rebecca Neff (Venora) are brought in to solve the case. Coroner Whittington (Hines) finds a common thread.

Wolfen is one of the rare cases where lots of people working on one element improved the film, instead of hurting it. Four people are credited with the photography, six for the script, and eleven people worked on the Visual Effects. James Horner did the score for the film; a theme heard in another film he scored can be heard here, in an understated form.

Finney is good as the burned out detective. Venora isn't believable as a terrorism expert, but very believable as someone who doesn't have the sense to stay away from odd noises in the South Bronx. Hines is cynically funny as the coroner.

"Wolfen"is strong on technique, fair on acting. I'd recommend it.

Director and cinematographer Michael Wadleigh is best known for his three-hour counterculture epic Woodstock, the iconic document of the 1969 music festival. The Ohio native only made one non-fiction feature and that was 1981's phantasmagorical noir thriller Wolfen. Steeped in Native American folklore, the film sees a desert dry Albert Finney investigate a series of gruesome and strange murders in downtown Manhattan and the Bronx. With a serious head of hair, Finney's character Dewey Wilson is given some razor sharp one-liners. You'd have loved to see this protagonist in another movie. Wadleigh uses many thermographic steady cam shots to convey the otherworldly subjective point of view of the killer, a technique that would inspire future movies like Predator. And New York City itself has never looked so ominous, where every shadow might grow a pair of fangs and demonic red eyes. There's many other impressive elements, from Edward James Olmos' small but key performance as Eddie Holt, Gregory Hines as the coroner-cum-comic-relief, Gerry Fisher's dreamlike cinematography and James Horner's fine score. In one particularly gasp-inducing scene, Wilson climbs to the top of the Manhattan bridge to interview Holt, who's a construction worker. I've never seen that landmark used on-screen in such a startling, nail-biting fashion. Wolfen is a forgotten gem. Give it a look.