Thoughs on: Wolf (1994) with Jack Nicholson
Ever wanted to see Jack Nicholson turn into a werewolf? Then "Wolf" is worth a watch. It combines romance, horror, and a furry Jack Nicholson. But despite the promising premise, it's a mellow and constrained movie. The selling point (the werewolf aspect) comes across more as a leitmotif than a feature, but the movie had a decent level of nose curling and teeth showing.
About the movie
“Wolf” is a 1994 movie directed by Mike Nichols and written by Jim Harrison. It stars Jack Nicholson in the role of Will Randall, an editor-in-chief at a big publishing company. Will hits a wolf with his car, stops to check on the wolf (as one does) and gets bitten. Will then becomes a werewolf. Whoa!
And that’s not even the main story. Will gets betrayed by Stewart (James Spader). Stewart is a seemingly nice co-worker, who secretly wants everything Will has. He succesfully lobbied for Will’s job and even had an affair with his wife, Charlotte.
”Wolf” has two parallel narratives – a drama about a man who lost everything but found love, and a horror movie about a werewolf who jumps really high and bites people. And if they seem too different to coexist, they are. Will does have some benefits from being a werewolf in his day-to-day life. He gets perfect vision, he works harder and is ruthless in getting what he wants. His hearing and smell also get a boost. However, these enhancements serve more as party tricks than integral narrative devices.
Jack Nicholson’s makes an unbelievable situation relatable with his acting and charisma. He delivers each line with presence and intent. It was a little awkward seeing him growl and howl but he kept the performance at a decent level of nose curling and teeth showing. He’s the kind of actor, like Leonardo DiCaprio or Brad Pitt, who radiates charm and can brithen any scene just by being there.
The movie takes cues from David Cronenberg’s ”The Fly” which also featured a protagonist who gets benefits and controllable powers while the transformation kicks in. Because Will was already a decent person, he didn’t do anything outrageous with his new powers. And come to think of it, neither did Jeff Goldblum in “The Fly”, he just wanted to be a good scientist and document what was happening to him. And both him and Will also have very supportive love interests that are there for them 400%. Speaking of love:
Michelle Pfeiffer as Laura Alden
Love plays an integral role in the movie. Will falls in love with Laura Alden. She is the rebellious daughter of the publishing company’s owner (aka Will’s boss). Laura is presented as a ex-troublemaker who experienced a traumatic past – she lost both her brother and mother. Laura fully accepts and protects Will and does anything to protect him.
That may be the root of her caring personality, because she had to look after her schizophrenic brother. And the reason why she stays cool and rational in very difficult situations, like finding Will handcuffed to radiator. Or finding out that he is a werewolf. Because of her off-screen troublemaker past, she’s also a resourceful person who knows how to unlock handcuffs. So…. that worked out.
And she also is revealed to have a spider tattooed on her shoulder. What was that about?
About the movie (but more techical)
The movie feels older than 1994 and way more restrained than it could be. Most horror elements play out like metaphors because ”Wolf” never goes all the way with anything. Never fully gory, scary or romantic. Technically and stylistically, It is a descriptive movie. The shots are wide and well lit. The movie has warm earthy tones and they add a classic nostalgic feel.
Wolf has very little special effects and they look practical – wolf dentures, wirework jumping and animatronic wolves. And very little post production interventions, except for eye color oversaturation, a furry-morphing-hand and slow motion running.
The ending was vague but in a stylistically pleasant way, leaving a lot to the imagination. And the final lesson is that nature has a Will of it’s own (pun intended).
Fun fact: Jim Harrison (the writer) resigned from Hollywood shortly after this movie and dissapointedly stated: “He took my wolf and made it into a Chihuahua”, reffering to the director.
P.S.
What’s up with the amulet? Will wore the amulet when he shared the bed with Laura. Why did it work in the barn but not the night before?
I hope you enjoyed reading my review of Wolf, and if you want to watch classical movies, you can use my 30-day trial for MUBI.
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