Wolf (1994)

Grisly horror , thrills and chills in this enjoyable terror film starred by an excellent protagonist trio, Jack Nicholson , Michelle Pfeiffer and James Spader . Wolf is a creepy terror movie that have you breathless . Publisher Will Randall (Jack Nicholson) suffers a car accident when is attacked by a wolf as he has turned into a werewolf . Randall is developing an extraordinary force and to be aware himself there happened more than a crash and has a horrible curse who cannot to control . Will becomes a werewolf at each full moon and has to fight to keep his job against his competitor colleague (James Spader) . Then he undergoes a dental and hirsute transformation at the night and going on a murderous rampage every time the moon is full. He increases strength , heightened senses and unnatural sexual impulse and he sprouts hair and pointy ears . Inside every man there are two people-one good, one beast . Meanwhile , Randall is accused for his wife's (Kate Nelligan) death and fall in love with the gorgeous daughter (Michelle Pfeiffer , though Mia Farrow was slated to play her and Sharon Stone turned down the female lead) of his shrewd boss (Christopher Pummer) .

This exciting chiller displays thriller , drama , action , suspense, terror , werewolves fights , a love story with mysterious touches and turns out quite entertaining . It's some different but with clear references to former films dealing with werewolves . Good performances from Jack Nicholson as a notorious publisher who is bitten by a werewolf and becomes one himself and the beautiful Michelle Pfeiffer along with James Spader . This was the second movie that Jack Nicholson and Michelle Pfeiffer made together after The witches of Eastwick (1987) and their first since Jack played the Joker in Batman (1989) and Michelle played Catwoman in Batman returns (1992). Very good support cast plenty of familiar faces such as Richard Jenkins as Detective Bridger , Eileen Atkins as Mary ,David Hyde Pierce as Roy , Om Puri as Dr. Vijay , Ron Rifkin as Doctor , Prunella Scales as Maude , Brian Markinson as Detective Wade and special mention to veteran Christopher Plummer . The transformation of man into werewolf is complex and made by expert make-up artist Rick Baker , creator in ¨The Wolfman¨ , ¨Men in black¨ , ¨Grinch¨ , ¨Gorillas in the mist¨ and many others . The notorious screenwriters Wesley Strick and Jim Harrison provide a well-knit plot with mystery and horror , giving full rein to Mike Nichols natural talent for the genre . Jack Nicholson had been trying to get this film made with his friend, writer Jim Harrison, for 12 years . Colorful and evocative cinematography by the Italian Giuseppe Rotunno . Rousing musical score by the great Ennio Morricone who composes a sensitive as well as thrilling soundtrack ; however John Williams was originally attached to compose the music for this film .

This big budget motion picture was well directed by Mike Nichols (The graduate , Catch 22, Silkwood , Working girl , Regarding Henry , Closer) , though release was delayed for 6 to 8 months to re-shoot the entire third act . It's a nice terror flick and and turns out to be an acceptable attempt to cash in the werewolf sub-genre . Rating : 6,5 Good . Better than average and worthwhile watching .

Fmovies: "Wolf" is not your average blood and guts horror flick. Rather it is a high budget drama with horror overtones with a top notch cast skillfully directed by Mike Nichols.

Jack Nicholson stars as Will Randall a meek book editor whose life suddenly is thrown into turmoil when he is bitten by a wolf while driving home from a business meeting. Suddenly he begins to feel younger and more energetic and to have keener senses of smell, sight and hearing. But to his horror, he begins to experience memory black outs during which several tragic events occur. He gradually comes to realize that he is taking on the characteristics of a wolf.

At the office, Randall has just been fired from his job by owner Raymond Alden (Christopher Plummer) and his place taken by the arrogant brown nosing Stewart Swinton (James Spader). Randall also learns that Swinton has been having an affair with his wife (Kate Nelligan). At that time he meets Alden's beautiful but self-centered daughter Laura (Michelle Pfeiffer) and naturally they become involved (Who wouldn't howl at the moon after spending the night with Michelle Pfeiffer?).

When Randall's wife is murdered, he begins to fear the worst so he turns to Laura for help in helping him to subdue his urges. But is he guilty murder? We have to wait to find out what's really going on until the last part of the film.

The performances by all cast members are top notch. Nicholson as usual stands out as the tragic, doomed Randall. Pfeiffer (who is a much better actress than she is given credit for) is excellent as Laura. Plummer is suitably oily and manipulative as Alden and Spader is really good as the over ambitious Swinton. Look for David Hyde Pierce in a small role as Randall's assistant and look real close for David Schwimmer as one of the cops who tries to arrest Randall at the zoo.

An off beat but different sort of horror film.

'Wolf' is an Entertaining & Engrossing Horror Flick, along-with Top-Notch Direction & Terrific Performances.

'Wolf' Synopsis: Publisher Will Randall becomes a werewolf and has to fight to keep his job.

'Wolf' is interesting, frightening & quite engrossing. Jim Harrison & Wesley Strick's Screenplay is packed with solid entertainment. Mike Nichols's Direction, like always, is Top-Notch. Cinematography & Editing are decent. Make-Up is well-done.

Performance-Wise: Jack Nicholson as Will Randall who becomes a Werewolf, is terrific, as usual. The Acting GOD proves his mettle once again! Michelle Pfeiffer is perfect, while James Spader is marvelous as the despicable villain. Kate Nelligan is impressive. Christopher Plummer is as usual. Om Puri is excellent in a cameo. Richard Jenkins does his bit well. Others offer support.

On the whole, 'Wolf' is a Winner.

Wolf fmovies. Even in the confines of big skyscrapers, it's a dog eat dog world.

Simply put, WOLF is a class act. The director is legendary. The acting is subdued yet electrically charged. To top things off, the Hitchcock style score by Ennio Morricone draws you in from the opening credits straight to the end. WOLF is such a unique installment to the werewolf tradition that it easily bursts through the bars of any category you place it in.

Mike Nichols boasts a career that is a study in itself. After artistically defining a post-war generation with the Graduate in 1967, he has been very selective with his projects behind the camera. Twenty-seven years after the Graduate, the veteran Nichols rises to the challenge of weaving a wide range of adult themes into one coherent werewolf movie. Stylistically, the shots and cinematography featured in the movie hearken back to an adventurous 70's spirit that has been abandoned in modern film. The combination of quick and slow zooms, along with expansive cuts of open spaces make the 125 minute story both rhythmic and engrossing.

WOLF is not the conventional werewolf movie we're accustomed to seeing, as the film is meant to induce a snicker as opposed to a scream. Although the scare factor takes a marked jump towards the end, the movie isn't really a horror movie. It focuses mostly on the canine tricks of corporate power, double-crossing, and primordial carnal knowledge. In this respect, James Spader upstages Jack Nicholson and almost steals the show.

Still, there's all the good stuff that comes with werewolf movies. The curse is a contagion transmitted by a bite. Who's the monster, and what makes the monster fearsome? What happens when Jack starts to turn? How far can Mike Nichols upset our comfort level? For all those horror fans out there, the make-up team did a superb job, no doubt influenced by the disjointed transformations of the original black and white wolf-man classic.

As a telltale sign of the film's sophistication, the werewolf theme is dramatically eclipsed by the true storyline – Nicholson's over-the-hill struggles in the publishing business. In the final examination, with corporate culture in mind, WOLF tends to resemble Wall Street or As Good as It Gets more than it does the Howling or American Werewolf in London. Nichols does a masterful job seamlessly weaving canine trickery into the workplace. Jack's heightened sense of smell detects his coworker's early morning Tequila. His pointed ears pick up juicy office gossip. In addition to these scenes, WOLF introduces an innovative corporate idea – urination and marking of territory, something that every sensible dog does when he feels like it!

The only detractor from WOLF is the quick and dirty relationship between Pfiffer and Nicholson. Even though the film is billed as a werewolf movie, this relationship somewhat stands as a centerpiece. To be sure, the sparse exchanges between the two stars feature witty dialog with plenty of chemistry. But despite this potential, the relationship somehow rings hollow and gets trampled beneath the other story lines that are taking place.

Apparently Sharon Stone was offered the female lead but turned the role down. To some extent, I don't blame her. The development of Michelle Pfiffer's character in the movie was an open question mark.

The Pfiffer-Nicholson love story culminates in WOLF's unique ending. If you happen to catch this movie, you can frolic through the woods with Jack along to

There is nothing better than the original starring Lon Chaney. There is no two ways about it. This film is however outstanding. The plot centers on Will Randall (Nicholson), an aging, past his prime publisher, who is struggling to keep his job as Chief Editor at a publishing house which is being taken over by a wealthy investor name Raymond Alden (Christopher Plummer.) His marriage is also on the skids and he is contending with a pompous, brown-nosing, sleazy protégé (Spader) for his future at the publisher. While on a business trip to retain a client on a snowy road in Vermont, Randall hits a wolf and is bitten. After his encounter and assurances from his doctor Randall notices heightened senses and finally gets a hold on what is going on in his life. Along the way he meets a mysterious and interesting woman (Michelle Pfeiffer) and seeks the advice of an alternative healer (Om Puri.) This movie is not terribly scary or really very horrifying, it portrays the wolf as being like mankind, "...evil if the person who is bitten is evil..." And in the dog-eat-dog world of business, really speaks about the urban jungle that is work and business every day. (Who are the real monsters? Werewolves? Or is it the people who wear suits and decide the destinies of people who work in corporate America?) Action comes in at points in small doses and culminates in the end with a final showdown. Overall the makeup was good; it was reminiscent of the classic, and done in the spirit of being an good homage to the original, and thankfully, it didn't come off as too campy. The dialogue was fair and what little profanity there was didn't seem necessary. Overall, a good film, I like to watch it from time to time. It will be too slow for viewers who do not appreciate a more dramatic thriller.

I saw this film when it first appeared in the cinema and I can remember my disappointment at the wolf scenes. Now, five years on, I realise what a gem this film is.

The cinematography is very well done, providing slick shots throughout which still hold their own against current films. The acting is very good with James Spader oozing sleaziness with every single look, Michelle Pfieffer playing a hardened woman, and Jack Nicholson being, well, Jack Nicholson, but hairier.

The opening sequence grabs you straight away, stock shocks, but they work fantastically, from then on I found myself impressed on just about every following scene.

Nicholson is very good at underplaying the beginning of his transformation as he starts to discover his newly heightened senses, but he comes into his own when his powers bring him new found confidence and self assurance.

Some of the wolf effects are a little cheesy, and the appearance of David Schwimmer playing a cop caused me to flash into Friends mode - he even has a friends-like line, could he _be_ anymore Ross like? Aside from these little niggles the film has an excellent love story with fantastic interaction between Nicholson and Pfieffer with some wry dialog. It's got great lighting and very good cinematography throw in a superb Morricone soundtrack and a cool ending and you've got a great film.