If you put Marvel’s Spiderman director together with two Hollywood movie stars, that must make money, right? Audiences could almost hear the executives at Apple rubbing their hands together at the prospect of Jon Watts, George Clooney, and Brad Pitt making Wolfs. A slick and stylish action thriller that promised to have these two best friends up on screen as freelance fixers. Should you find yourself trapped in a hotel room with dead bodies, that you had no hand in killing off, then these guys will come round and clean up – literally. Sounds simple, sounds foolproof, and might just be an easy win for everyone they thought – until audiences get hold of the finished article.
The main problem with Wolfs is lack of story. This Apple original might be written and directed by Jon Watts, but there is an over-reliance on both actors to carry this film. From the moment they share screentime, Clooney and Pitt slip into autopilot. Charming, self-effacing, and every inch of what audiences have come to expect – something is still missing. Dialogue is sparse, no one ever feels in danger, and this story never feels fully formed. Even with bullets raining down on them, or in Pitt’s case, chasing Austin Abrams through New York, it all feels a little pointless. In truth, Wolfs is packed with stylish moments that never come together to create anything meaningful. Other people may have written this movie off as pure light entertainment, made purely as a charm offensive featuring Clooney and Pitt, but both have made better choices.
There has also been some talk of their pay checks on this movie being excessive. Any arguments on that topic are futile, since Apple have deep pockets, and their measure of success has never been reliant on box office. The fact is, both actors signed on aware of what they were doing, and honestly, who can blame them? On paper, Wolfs was an easy decision, that harked back to the buddy comedies which people simply never make anymore, because they never make money. Wolfs was an excuse to get some solid gold A-list talent up on screen to re-invigorate this genre. However, with at least one of those Oscar winners phoning in their performance, things were never destined to go well.
In just under two hours, Wolfs struggles to get off the blocks, and no amount of star power can save it from mediocrity. Considering the talent involved, this film could be marketed as a tragedy, purely based on the wasted potential of this premise. Brad Pitt might be going through his Dorian Gray phase right now, while George Clooney has combined his movie star status with political commentary in recent months. However, there is simply no excuse for letting audiences down with something so lacklustre – shame on them both.
Wolfs is streaming on AppleTV+ now.