Watching and listening to George Clooney and Brad Pitt as they throw each other the odd glance and engage in offhand banter that is sometimes unkind or patronizing is surely one of the most delectable forms of the cinematic experience. While they have acted in more movies together, most of their co acting is in the ‘Ocean’s’ comedy capers by Steven Soderbergh. (In the Coen Brothers 2008 film ‘Burn After Reading’ for example, in which they again appear together on screen, their characters’ link is loose as well spoiler alert this relationship does not develop even within the plot). No such films are on anyone’s calendars anymore, but Jon Watts’ written and directed ‘Wolfs’ still manages to try and give its stars some of that Danny and Rusty feeling even though its primarily unnamed lead characters have a tad antagonistic kind of relationship.
There is no evidence that Watts does not take advantage of these stars’ position as the Last White Male Movie Stars, and particularly as the Last White Older Male Movie Stars, a position which can be said to be his pet topic. (Their roles do not get into running too fast than as younger men and by this time in the movie, the two characters are seen couplet sharing an Advil bottle.) Money laundering is what Pitt and Clooney do for a living, though they work in a different profession, not the dry cleaning extension. When an ambitious politico person, played by Amy Ryan, receives a call in the middle of a luxury hotel tryst that ends with someone likely being dead inside her hotel room, she makes a call to someone on her contacts saved with round brackets. And then along comes George, dressed in his black turtleneck and leather coat for a different purpose, wearing latex and carrying other necessary equipment. However, he is soon joined by Brad dressed almost the same, who was requested by the hotel managers. The two then embark on a passive aggressive dispute on how dirty the table has to be before it is cleaned, while horrified Ryan has to walk around in a blood stained top as she is loudly crying.
Even with a fantastic support cast that also features the great Richard Kind, and even Frances McDormand doing some voice work, “Wolfs” is a duet in cool for its two principals at least until the dispute they were cleaning up about actually turns out to be more animated than had been hitherto believed. Austin Abrams plays a role with the moniker ‘Kid’ and he is both frightened and enlightened by the men who hold his destiny. The proceedings are also livened by the presence of four bricks of heroin or something like it (some of the more humorous exchanges saw the Wolfs disputing whether it was “a magic drug”) Barbara and some hit starving.albanians crawling out of the walls and in search of those bricks. The various plot contortions and plot constructions and the escapades of the characters lead to a breath taking superie New York chase scene. The hallowed precincts of Nations Ford outside Davidson have in the process been done quite a level of injustice needless to say. In as much as there is sufficient grisly violence here, something which Watts is not new to considering that he directed the disgraceful and morally destitute horror film ‘Clown’, I had reservations about this undertaking. This is a comic book picture.
It can’t be called a Minor Motion Picture, but at the same time, it isn’t a trifle either. To put it in a way Graham Greene did, it could be said that it is somewhere in the realm of entertainment. But that can be put in ‘more’ simpler terms. In fact, it is a joy to hear Clooney recite the famous line “What’s the play here” once again and, some time later, Pitt argue, “I don’t work that way.” And those who appreciate deep cuts will get these slight nods to “Ocean’s” producer Jerry Weintraub, this time in the form of character introduced somewhere in the end who is a die hard fan of Sinatra.
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