Wolf (1994)

   

Associate Produced & Directed by:
Written by: Jim Harrison & Wesley Strick

Starring:

Jack Nicholson .... Will Randall
Michelle Pfeiffer .... Laura Alden
James Spader .... Stewart Swinton
Kate Nelligan .... Charlotte Randall
Richard Jenkins .... Detective Bridger
Christopher Plummer .... Raymond Alden
Eileen Atkins .... Mary
David Hyde Pierce .... Roy
Om Puri .... Dr. Vijay Alezais

Special Appearances:

Ron Rifkin .... Doctor
Prunella Scales .... Maude
Brian Markinson .... Detective Wade
Peter Gerety .... George

Release Date: Theatrical: June 17, 1994

*Images courtesy at: www.outnow.ch

 

 

 

Rating:

 

A publisher named WIll Randall (Jack Nicholson) hits a wolf on a snowy night and gets bitten by this beast in which he starts to have animal instincts as well as going out at night and killing living things in mainly the central park of New York City and realises that he's a werewolf in which a mistress named Laura Alden (Michell Pfeiffer) falls in love with him and tries to help him fight to keep his job but she seems to be pitted by one of his former employees named Stewart Swinton (James Spader) whom he fired and caught him having an affair with his wife Charlotte (Kate Nelligan) as he behaves rather strange towards Laura and follows her home one night making herself be at risk.

 

We spot a nice impressive beginning with Will Randall driving in a snowy area having a hard time seeing what's on the road with a foggy windshield as this grabbed your attention a great deal and having a feeling that something is going to happen that will catch you offguard which it just does as we spot him hitting a wolf as this is a near jumping moment and looked fairly well done too. Plus great close up shots on him checking to see if this wolf is alive as this makes you cringe big time and having a deep dark feeling that this beast will attack him as the settings looked perfect by making you think that you are going to be scared here and keep watching as you will for sure jump out of your seat here.
A perfect shot on him lying down in bed and we spot his face looking more hairy without overdoing it as well as a perfect slow motion shot on him leaping out a window and jumping high in the air in the woods while chasing a deer as this was carefully shot and looking well done. Plus very disturbing moments after he catches this animal.
We have some nice strong discussions with Will towards his wife Charlotte and acting lustful towards her which are nice signs in the film that he is slowly changing into a werewolf on animal instinct of a mating moment which was strongly put in and showing good timing here.
We also have a nice comedic one liner on Will crossing by one of his employees and smelling that he drank some liquor which was a real eye catcher on each other's reactions on this.
A perfect still moment with Will outside at night as well as the character Laura Alden approaching him and offering him her drink in which their interactions looked nice, mysterious and silent on what goes on between them which is another great concentrated focus here. Looked well written in for what we discover on this woman later on while we continue to watch this.
A perfect situation with Will storming into Stewart Swinton's home as well as him trying to grab him and a good jumping moment with Will biting his hand as this shows alot of great moments on him acting more and more like an animal. It was cleverly put in for sure and a real attention grabber too.
A perfect moment with Will entering Stewart's office after we spot his affair with his wife the night before which gives you the chills that he will not be pleasant with him as the reactions between the two of them looked good and nautral as well as psychological too imagining if you were in the situation and nicely focused camera shots on each of them too.
A nice still moment with a doctor talking to Will and having a deep discussion with him as well as a nice manipulative mopment on this doctor trying to get him to bite him so he'd become a werewolf which looked well focused here and making you wonder if he will actually do this or not.
A perfect situation with Stewart trying to sweet talk Will into not firiing him in a washroom as well as getting nasty towards him and a perfect write in with Will marking his territory on him which was necessary to be out in on a werewolf flick.
A good strong moment with Will trying to keep Laura on the phone when she is angry at him for standing her up as this looked sharply done and really brought to life a great deal with the realistic going on's with what really happens due to a mild dispute.
A great powerful moment with Will running in the areas of Central Park jumping and acting like a perfect wild animal as well as a perfect moment with a gang trying to mug him and he acts fresh with them along with showing on what he looks like showing a more wolf like features to him adding some perfect wicked charm here as well as a perfect leaping out moment showing a bigger monstrous features towards them which catches you by surprise and done in a perfect style here.
A good and disturbing moment while Charlotte tries to beg Will to come back with him and he shuts her out as it looked good and dysfunctional as well as emotional too showing a good and strong dramatic situation here.
A perfect setting with Laura entering Will's suite and spotting him handcuffed to his bed post and him warning her on what he will turn into during a full moon which looked pwerfully done as well as her talking sweetly and kinky to him offering nice timing here and well focused too. The moment looked truly romantic during their interactions towards one another.
A nice moment with Will running outside and kneeling down as well as howling like a wolf which looked good and artsy.
Great strong effective situations with the police talking to both Will and Laura about a murder case and the reactions to all of this as this really shakes you up by watching this moment a great deal.
A perfect moment with Stewart getting obsessive over Laura as well as checking her out which draws in a perfect mysterious feel to everything as well as spotting his eyes which looked wolf like as you definetely get the feeling that he is a werewolf himself. This looked perfectly well done.
Alot of perfect situations with Will locked in a horse kennel and acting bizarre as well the the horse freaking out spotting this which the makers made this look convincingly intense.
Also a great strong moment with Stewart leaping at Laura and attacking her as well as perfect moments on Will trying to get out of the kennel to try and rescue her which really grabs your attention wondering if he will manage to get out or not which looked well concentrated here.
Alot of perfect battling shots between Will and Stewart leaping and throwing one another as this looked perfectly action packed here and making every bit of this look great and suspenseful with a werewolf against another one.
Nice mment between Will as a werewolf watchong carefully towards Laura with nice camera shot on this which had a nice romantic feel to all of this and looking good and strong too.
Pkus we have a perfect smooth ending scene that involves Laura which is a real memorable moment here.
Bottom line is that this film was made on a great budget and well done too which had alot of good and strong intent here adding alot of dramatic scene's and nice romantic one's too. At times adds some nice scares but it's not as effective as most werewolf flicks as we've seen these types before. The film didn't get carried away with the full beast of a werewolf which is a different change for sure.

The acting is strongly well done in which Jack Nicholson (Will Randall) knew his stuff as always in which he really focused well in the beginning of his performance while getting distracted while driving making this look pretty convincing. Also he reacts well acting like an animal in heat just showing good adrenaline while wanting action for sex acting believweably lustful and full of life. Also does a good job having a slick attitude while being angry at someone without losing control and coming off as someone who is mysteriously wicked. Does well while acting vicious and aggressive while running or striking someone just getting into the feel big time here. Also shows off a nice cold speaking wicked charm while being cornered at a park at night which also shows off perfectly onto the camera. Shows off a perfect raging aggression in a certain area which he acted believeably closed minded within all that he did. Was powerful with his blocking by his running as well as his battling modes too. Also shows a perfect aggression when he starts to turn into a werewolf which he got into big time here.
Michelle Pfeiffer (Laura Alden) drew in a great mystrerious presence when she first makes her approach in the film as well as doing a nice job with her charming attitude too. Does a nice job while showing off a ticked off attitude in one part of the scene in the film and made this look realistic here. In other spot really showed off a good understanding behavior too in which she does well by acting kinky as well as showing a good romantic type of behavior here. In other areas shows off a nice nervous anxious attitude or doing well while trying to act struggling in other areas with a nice alerted type of attitude. Plus at the end of her performance really showed off a perfect slick type of attitude too.
James Spader (Stewart Swinton) was certainly a good attention grabber in his part here as he shows off a good nervous and choked up behavior in one part of the scene while trying to explain himself on what had happened as he really brought this to life a great deal. Also shows off some good energy when pleading to keep his job as well as changing this to having an arrogant attitude acting like a convincing scumbag. Plus does well with his obsessive and mysterious attitude coming across perfectly strong towards anothe rcast memeber. Certainly shows a different type of personality while becoming a werewolf which he did this perfectly well. Does a great job with his blocking when he attacks someone or goes into battle not letting an ounce of energy down with the scene's that he had to do here. Yes he was for sure a great character actor and one of the best out of the whole cast.
Kate Nelligan
(Charlotte Randall) played a perfect basketcase of a wife by having a timid and serious type of attitude as well as coming across well by acting mellow and nervous too in other areas. Also does a nice job when trying to plead and beg as well as having a perfect emotional type of attitude while crying in which you almost feel sorry for her by how she does it and does this terrifically by making her role believeably. She had a nice supporting role here.
Eileen Atkins (Mary
) shows off a perfect anxiousness as one of the employees and has a great alerted type of behavior. Does a good job with her speaking and talking fast and adding a good hype within all of this. I found her to be another one who was great at getting your attention here and seemed to work hard into her role here.
Om Puri (Dr. Vijay Alezais) drew in a good seriousness as well as being perfectly well focused on his facination on werewolved in which he does a great job by having an insisting motive for what he wants someone else to do to try and make him a werewolf. He was a perfect mystyerious and eccentric type and brought these actions to life greatly. Also had the right looks for this role which was another great bonus for him too. He seems to stick out well into the story even if his role wasn't too big here. Has a nice speech to everything as well which also drew in differently compared to the other cast members involved.

Fingers are bitten off

There's a ton of great mainstream orchestral music with strong and powerful trombone playing as well as terrific smooth violin music too as it sounds perfectly well with the soft and silent moments along with having it intense and fast paced for the terrifying sequences along with hearing some great high pitched flute and clarinet playing too. Also we hear some good chiming keyboard music too racing along which also stood out in a fair fashion.

Stewart Swinton: What are you crazy?
Will Randall: [after pissing on his shoes] NO! I'm just marking my territory, and you got in the way.

Dr. Vijay Alezias: And it feels good to be a wolf, doesn't it? Power without guilt. Love without doubt.

Charlotte Randall: I never loved Stewart. It was a mistake Will. I'm going to talk to him. Stewart, never for one moment, mentioned he loved me.
Will Randall: You think that makes it better? To betray me over and over again with a man that ment nothing to you? To know you betrayed me for nothing.
Charlotte Randall: Don't be a smug...
Will Randall: Don't touch me! And Keep Away.

Stewart Swinton: If you find me so attractive, how about me fucking you to death right now darling, how would that be?
Laura Alden: I don't know I'll have to try it.

Stewart Swinton: Good evening Miss Alden. May I call you Laura? Laura, if you scream, I'll kill you. I'll just... break your neck, okay?