Wolfs
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (out of 5)
Throughout movie history, actors like Brad Pitt and George Clooney have had a chemistry that can rarely be manufactured. These two men have a friendship that manages to translate to their work on the big screen. This pair has worked on the Ocean’s Eleven franchise for years, and after Academy Award-winning turns, each has now returned to a project that provides these men the opportunity to tap into this connection that has worked throughout the decades.
Director Jon Watts, who brought the world the most recent Spider-man trilogy, gets the opportunity to bring these Hollywood legends back together in this dark comedy. Clooney and Pitt are two fixers called to help Margaret (Amy Ryan), who happens to be the Manhattan District Attorney, out with a problem. A young man who she brought up to her high-end penthouse fell and looked as if he had died. The pair usually work on their own, but they are forced to work together on this job by Pam (voiced by Frances McDormand), the owner of the luxury hotel. Yet, as they work to determine what to do with the body, the kid (Austin Abrams) awakens with a bag of drugs. This new, unexpected revelation leads the trio on a late-night journey through the city’s dark underworld as they determine what to do in this bizarre circumstance.
As things unfold on-screen between these iconic figures, something that should have been obvious from the poster is that Clooney and Pitt are aging. This doesn’t diminish their ability to deliver great dialogue and comedic twists to a familiar storyline. Not to say that there aren’t some creative turns that make this worth getting along to see, but the action does come at a leisurely pace that causes elements of this story to lag. The actors mock the realities of getting old, making them the story's centre instead of the ridiculously over-the-top antics of Austin Abrams. He does add a refreshing twist to the overall screenplay and holds his own between these acting heavyweights. Yet, the quippy back-and-forth barely keeps this film from getting bogged down in the snowfall on the streets of New York City.
Wolfs does amange to make it across the line with a nod towards Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid as well as other classic films, but fails to rise to the best of these two men’s careers. Still, the fans of these legends will enjoy this pair's outing, who have left an impression on Hollywood that will outlast their careers.
Reel Dialogue: What do you do in the ‘grey season’ of life?
Grey hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life. - Proverbs 16:31
It may seem odd for an action comedy to provide a lesson in the value of the aging process, but it works. In Wolfs, Clooney and Pitt’s fixers must come to terms with getting old. Their glory days are behind them, but that does not mean they offer no value to their work. It merely means a new season of life.
The Bible is filled with this example. Moses, Elijah, Peter and Paul provided examples of how we can be utilised throughout our lives. Each stage of life presents a new opportunity to serve God. So, what season of life are you in, and what are you doing with the life you have been given?
