Mid-budget heist movies had a huge time in the 1980’s and 1990’s, the kind of movie you would sit down with your family to watch at 8:30pm on Chanel Seven on a Saturday night. Good looking actors, taking on a action crime story that gives a load of action and a middling story that everyone can enjoy. Wolfs comes from writer/director Jon Watts (Spider-Man No Way Home) and reunites on-screen dynamite power couple George Clooney and Brad Pitt as a couple of nameless fixers whose natural chemistry together does 99% of the heavy lifting here. The well-shot action sequences and odd humour all add to this movie’s overall charm, making it a perfect night in streaming film.
When Margaret (played by Amy Ryan) has a rendevous with a younger guy in her luxury hotel room and things turn south very quickly, she reaches out to a contact in her phone, referred to by her friend she trusts, Clooney rocks up in a black turtleneck, leather jacket and gloves, ready to discreetly make it all disappear. As they are discussing their plans, in walks Pitt dressed in the exact same manner, summoned by the owner of the hotel to make this problem disappear to save its reputation. The two have to figure out how to work together to find out where the drugs originate from and make sure to tie up any loose ends and witnesses to the event.
This is helped by the character of Kid (played by Austin Abrams) who accompanies the two on their journey. Kid is the drug delivery boy and must help track down the clues only he has been given to solve the mystery. The four bricks of drugs that Kid is in charge of delivering is swiftly picked up a group of Albanian mobsters who also want them. This involves various chase scenes and action sequences all set across New York City that set this film apart.
Clooney and Pitt already have natural chemistry as seen in many of their films together. The Ocean’s series, Burn After Reading and His Way to name a few. This is more of that, yet here they acknowledge their ageing bodies with various gags. Sharing an Advil bottle after a fight, Hesitating before jumping into things and knowing looks to each other elevate their performances. The big surprise here is Abrams, who delivers a wide-eyed innocent young man who stands in both fear and irrelevance of both Clooney and Pitt. His comedic timing is perfect and his character’s inability to tell a straight story without recounting the entire day from the second he woke up provides some of the high moments in the script.
Wolfs feels like the traditional film that was made in the 80s and 90s with a mid-budget, that can appeal to and entertain all ages. The stellar performances from all of the principal cast here keep the pace moving, even when the script seemingly halts it with lines like “I don’t work like that” and “There’s nobody that can do what I do” Fortunately there is enough charisma and chemistry from Clooney and Pitt that melsh with newcomer Abrams to deliver a perfectly serviceable film to watch at home on a Saturday night.
Wolfs is streaming now on Apple TV +.
