George Clooney and Brad Pitt have filmed together again after 15 years: Wolfs is the name of the expensive action comedy and here’s the first impression from Venice.Wolfs belongs in the cinema. Let’s get that out of the way. The production of the Apple TV+ streaming service offers old-school star cinema without big effects, but you don’t need them if you can lure George Clooney and Brad Pitt in front of a camera.
The two stars of Ocean’s Eleven and Burn After Reading haven’t done that for 15 years. You should actually celebrate something like this by saying goodbye to your couch for two hours and making your way to the movies. But there is currently no German theatrical release for Wolfs, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival on Sunday
Wolfs was expensive, but fortunately you can’t tell by looking at it
In the run-up to the premiere, the action comedy made headlines mainly because of its cost. Clooney and Pitt alone are said to have received 35 million dollars each as a fee, with (only?) 15 million going to director Jon Watts (Spider-Man: Homecoming), as reported by the New York Times. This did not even pay for a movie hatch, let alone filming and personnel. The reason for the reports were cost-cutting measures at the Apple TV+ streamer. Wolf’s international theatrical releases, which Apple productions such as Killers of the Flower Moon and Napoleon still enjoyed, probably also fell victim to these
Watch the trailer for Wolfs:
High budget aside, you shouldn’t expect a blockbuster with effects fireworks with Wolfs. This sets it apart from Netflix extravaganzas such as Red Notice. Wolfs comes in a smaller format and tells a seemingly simple story with style, verve and plenty of wit.
Brad Pitt and George Clooney are experts at eliminating clues in Wolfs
In Wolfs, the two veteran stars play professionals who earn their money by eliminating the usually bloody problems of influential people. They know how to dispose of corpses inconspicuously, remove compromising evidence and where to get help for a problem in the underworld. However, they are subject to at least one misconception: that they are something special.
When George Clooney’s lone wolf is called to the hotel room of politician Margaret (Amy Ryan) to clean up a messed-up one-night stand, he painfully learns that he is not the only one with this job. A competitor (Brad Pitt) also comes knocking at the door. Together they are given the job of sweeping the story under the carpet. This is complicated by the discovery of a load of drugs – and the fact that the “corpse” (Austin Abrams) in the hotel room still has a pulse.
This is followed by a snappy crime comedy with a handful of creative action interludes. A chase on foot and by car through snowy New York is particularly impressive. It’s all pretty down-to-earth, a far cry from John Wick and co. Writer and director Jon Watts tells the story of the two lone wolves at a crisp pace, consistently amusing but not overloaded with bullet-train-style chatter.
The real winner of Wolfs is someone else
For Jon Watts, Wolfs represents a return to his own movie roots. Before the billion-dollar Spider-Man trilogy with Tom Holland, he caused a stir with the Kevin Bacon thriller Cop Car, which was as slickly told as its title sounds. This talented genre storyteller was swallowed up by the Marvel machinery.
Watts’ sense of coming-of-age storytelling remained in the Spidey adventures, but the look and especially the action sequences were lost in the monotony of Marvel’s visual strategy. What characterizes a Jon Watts film became a question without an answer after three Spider-Man films.
Wolfs now takes us back closer to the beginning, which is why he comes out of the movie as the biggest winner regardless of the money. Watts hasn’t made a second Burn After Reading, but the Coen brothers lack originality, even in their handling of the two stars. However, the script keeps you entertained with some clever ideas, while Clooney and Pitt do their thing with aplomb, while also poking fun at their increasing age. It’s charming and goes by faster than you can say “annual subscription to a streaming service”. Wolfs is only really fun in a packed movie theater.
