Wolf - La belva è fuori

"He was a killer, a thing that preyed, living on the things that lived, unaided, alone, by virtue of his own strength and prowess, surviving triumphantly in a hostile environment where only the strong survive."

That, of course, is a description of a wild dog from the menagerie of San Francisco's great storyteller Jack London. But it can also be a successful book editor in today's wolf-eat-wolf world of big- time book publishing.

In Mike Nichols' enchanted 1994 movie, Wolf, we meet a failing book editor, Jack Nicholson, who, sorry to say, would rather purr than bark. Because he's a goat staked out for the kill, meek and mild Jack is about to succumb to the claw and fang of the monsters around him -- not the gibbering ogres that hide behind bookshelves in editorial offices, and come out at night to hide author contracts, mix-up manuscripts and insert misspellings and inaccuracies in freshly proof-read books – but assassins who can kill a career with an e-mail or fax.

In his case, Nicholson has two creatures to deal with: the jackal- like James Spader, as vicious and as smiling a villain as one might find in a Grimm's fairy tale or an MBA executive program, and the nightmarish Christopher Plummer, the nastiest and most treacherous boss since Genghis Khan, the sort of corpse-eating, bone-crunching sneak who gives hyenas a bad name. Both actors are at the top of their game, and it's a delight to watch them work their nastiness.

Fortunately for the Nicholson character, he gets bitten by a werewolf, and we all know what that means, kiddies.

Like one of Jack London's canines on the prowl: "He became quicker of movement... swifter of foot, craftier, deadlier, more lithe, more lean with iron like muscle and sinew, more enduring, more cruel more ferocious, and more intelligent."

All this without having to spend a minute on a tread mill or give up steak ("I said bloody rare!") . Sometimes there is justice in this world.

As if this wasn't enough of a bonus for getting nibbled by a werewolf, he falls in love with a dirty-minded Little Red Riding Hood, the toothsome Michelle Pfeiffer. And his ill-wishers soon find out they've bitten off more than they can chew.

Ingenious Mike Nichols has trapped the old werewolf legends – as told in the Universal Pictures Lon Chaney movies – and given them a new, giggle-filled twist.

But if you have a feeling that we're not in tranquil Transylvania any more, you're right. This is New York City, where the pointy skyscrapers look like fangs against the midnight sky, and a chill wind at the stroke of 12 can suddenly come howling down Broadway. Even so, a newly minted werewolf in Gotham has appointments to keep and rivals to slay. And to do the job properly, he's now armed with useful new office skills, like the ability to hear whispered workplace gossip blocks away and a sensitive nose that tells him who's been sipping tequila at the breakfast table.

However, he can't be a 9-to-fiver forever. A wolf-man needs to make time for fun, like one of Jack London's animal heroes: "But especially he loved to run in the dim twilight of the summer midnights, listening to the subdued and sleepy murmurs of the forest, reading signs and sounds as a man may read a book, and seeking for the mysterious something that called -- called, waking or sleeping, at all times, for him to come."

As you might expect, evening is chow-down time in the Big Apple. But what happens in Central Park stays in Central Park, minus a hand or two.

Blending chills, kills and giggles, Mike Nichols has created a marvelous tale for our time. And with the wondrous Jack Nicholson, who can be both blithe and bloodcurdling at the same instant, he has a creature any monster-maker would be proud of. Glorious special effects, great ensemble acting, and laugh-out-loud wit – the sort of insightful and caustic comments that over the years Mike Nichols rewarded us with, like so many jalapeño-flavored candy bars -- make Wolf an engaging fable for grownups ... but one that you might not want to view just before bed-time; especially if you sleep with an open window with the moon shining down.

(A tip of the old Davy Crockett coonskin cap to perennial best- seller Jack London, an acute observer of wild animals and wild writers, whose century-old canine heroes would do very well in modern Manhattan ... if it ever came down to the crunch.)

A cool new take on a werewolf story. Will Randall(Jack Nicholson)is your every day nice guy, who does'nt seem throw many punches, his best friend and coworker Stuart Swinton(James Spader) steals his job Has Senior Publisher, and his wife Charlotte(Kate Nelligan) is cheating on him. But something interesting happens to him. While driving home after a business trip, he accidently hits a wolf, and when he gets out of his car and tries to touch it, the wolf bites on the hand. Suddenly Wills senses start working in overdrive, He starts seeing farther then normal,and hearing farther also. And he starts able to smell things other people can't. He starts feeling great enough to fight back, And he will now start throwing punches. But happens when Will's Wolf instincts start taking over? One of the best werewolf movies in a long time. Jack Nicholson was great, really to perfect for this role. A different take on the werewolf story. Its a howling classic.

While driving through Vermont, New England, the middle age chief editor Will Randall (Jack Nicholson) hits a wolf with his car. He stops the car to drag the animal out of the road, but the wolf is alive and bites his hand. He goes to the doctor, takes rabies vaccine and the doctor releases him.

Will is under stress in her job since the publishing house where he works has been bought by the tough millionaire Raymond Alden (Christopher Plummer) and the employees are expecting downsizing. Will is supported by his wife Charlotte Randall (Kate Nelligan) and his colleague and assistant Stewart Swinton (James Spader).

Raymond invites Will to a party at his manor and he offers an unwanted job position in Eastern Europe to him and he learns that he had been betrayed by Stewart, who will occupy his position in the publishing house. Will also meets Raymond's rebel daughter Laura Alden (Michelle Pfeiffer).

On the next morning, Will Randall goes to his work and learns that he has acute senses and he feels more competitive and decided to fight for his job. Further he discovers that Charlotte is cheating on him with Stewart and that Laura and he are in love with each other. But Will Randall is becoming a wolf and his transformation changes completely his life.

I saw "Wolf" for the first time in 1994 and yesterday I saw this film again and I found it better and better than the first time that I saw it. The story perfectly combines drama, horror and romance, with Michelle Pfeiffer very beautiful and a great dispute among the characters performed by Jack Nicholson, James Spader and Christopher Plummer. The conclusion is open to interpretation whether the wild side of Laura Alden is transforming her or the sexual intercourse with Will Randall. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Lobo" ("Wolf")

Ever since the 1940s, filmmakers attempting to make a new monster film, in the vein of the classics Dracula or The Wolf Man are often saddled with the contempt or disbelief provoked in response by contemporary audiences, leaving the end result either comedic or a camp attempt at a thriller incapable of being taken seriously or enjoyed by anyone other than caffeine riddled thirteen year olds. After numerous of said attempts, it was refreshing, to say the least, to experience a film which would normally fall under the aforementioned category, but which took its subject matter in a straightforward and serious fashion, helmed by a quality filmmaker and with a strong enough cast to properly sell some of the less credible aspects of the production. The result was Wolf, a modern werewolf film not intended as a joke or cinematic money grabber, but instead an intelligent look at the themes which thrilled 1940s audiences in a contemporary context.

Director Mike Nichols should be commended for instilling his subject matter with enough dramatic intensity to appeal to an adult demographic, without forgetting the primary intent of such a film - to thrill and chill its audiences in turn. But rather than milking the audience's emotions with a series of oh so trite horror clichés, Nichols is willing to forgo outright shock value screams for a continual chilling sensation - a more subtle and ultimately more eerie touch many modern hackneyed attempts at horror could learn volumes from. Adding to Wolf's credibility is some creative and intriguing camera work, although the continued use of slow motion during dramatic points does begin to appear hokey after a while, despite working brilliantly at other points.

The quality of the film is also strongly aided by a strong script, brilliantly paced between frights and character development; also a rarity considering the genre, and with just enough fleeting moments of perfectly placed comedic relief. The ever reliable Ennio Morricone contributes a wonderful score, a sublime tribute to the horror films of old without ever seeming clichéd. The filmmakers should also be commended enormously for resisting the temptation to overload the werewolf character with special effects, and take the classic makeup route instead. In an industry inundated with computer altered special effects, there is something very laudable about seeing an actual actor covered in prosthetic hair giving an actual performance, rather than a CGI created monstrosity. Whether intended as a tribute to the original Wolf Man (the facial hair designs are unmistakably familiar to Lon Chaney Jr.'s infamous antihero) or simply taking inspiration from it, the makeup works enormously well, and gives a welcome dose of nostalgia in a modern incarnation of the genre.

The casting of Jack Nicholson as a modern day werewolf may have immediately come across as a very mixed blessing, inciting excitement that such an iconic actor was taking a shot at a part which seemed tailor made for him, and fear that Nicholson might simply coast by on the premise, and indulge in his tendency to drift over the top to the point of pantomime, effectively ruining the intent of the film. Thankfully, Nicholson also had the credulity to take his subject matter seriously, and emerge with a perfectly tuned performance. Nicholson channels his legendary charisma into an entirely credible character, riddled with pathos and dark menace, easily dispelling fears that his facial prosthetics might come across as laughable, and emerging with a surprisingly powerful and very serious performance. Michelle Pfeiffer gives a tremendously charismatic and entirely believable performance as Nicholson's surprisingly well written love interest - rather than being reduced to screaming and floundering around, Pfeiffer injects her character with real human emotions, taking what could have been a routine romantic lead and nearly stealing the film in one of the most impressive performances in her career. James Spader makes a deliciously slimy antagonist, and classy support is provided from Kate Nelligan, Richard Jenkins and Christopher Plummer.

What might have degraded into cheap watered down horror trash culminated as an intelligent, mature and unapologetic modern monster thriller, made all the stronger by its firm, capable direction, intelligent and wonderfully paced script, with excellent performances from Nicholson and Pfeiffer. Wolf makes a wonderful modern take on the Wolf Man classic right down to the facial prosthetics, and is easily worth seeing for any fans of the genre in the mood for a horror film which refuses to patronise its audience - a very refreshing change.

-8/10

"Wolf" is not your average blood and guts horror flick. Rather it is a high budget drama with horror overtones with a top notch cast skillfully directed by Mike Nichols.

Jack Nicholson stars as Will Randall a meek book editor whose life suddenly is thrown into turmoil when he is bitten by a wolf while driving home from a business meeting. Suddenly he begins to feel younger and more energetic and to have keener senses of smell, sight and hearing. But to his horror, he begins to experience memory black outs during which several tragic events occur. He gradually comes to realize that he is taking on the characteristics of a wolf.

At the office, Randall has just been fired from his job by owner Raymond Alden (Christopher Plummer) and his place taken by the arrogant brown nosing Stewart Swinton (James Spader). Randall also learns that Swinton has been having an affair with his wife (Kate Nelligan). At that time he meets Alden's beautiful but self-centered daughter Laura (Michelle Pfeiffer) and naturally they become involved (Who wouldn't howl at the moon after spending the night with Michelle Pfeiffer?).

When Randall's wife is murdered, he begins to fear the worst so he turns to Laura for help in helping him to subdue his urges. But is he guilty murder? We have to wait to find out what's really going on until the last part of the film.

The performances by all cast members are top notch. Nicholson as usual stands out as the tragic, doomed Randall. Pfeiffer (who is a much better actress than she is given credit for) is excellent as Laura. Plummer is suitably oily and manipulative as Alden and Spader is really good as the over ambitious Swinton. Look for David Hyde Pierce in a small role as Randall's assistant and look real close for David Schwimmer as one of the cops who tries to arrest Randall at the zoo.

An off beat but different sort of horror film.