Wolfs

At one point in Wolfs, a mobster unleashes a storm of bullets at George Clooney and Brad Pitt, shouting, “You’re not wolfs! You’re buddies!” That’s the central idea of director Jon Watts’ new movie for Apple TV+. The premise involves two “lone wolf” fixers for the criminal underworld—think of Harvey Keitel’s The Wolf from Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction (1994), and you’ll get the idea. Clooney and Pitt’s characters have similar reputations to each other. “There’s nobody who can do what I do,” they both say. Each thinks they have a unique skill set to dispose of bodies or generally make problems go away for the rich, powerful, and well-connected. After they meet under precarious circumstances, their initial petty rivalry and competitive streak evolve over the course of one evening when they’re forced to work together until, eventually, they become pals. Given its leading men and the familiar criminal milieu, the result should exude charm and entertainment value to spare. However, it’s all rather flavorless, unexceptional, and devoid of anything memorable.

Watts, who has been making entertaining Spider-Man movies for the MCU since 2017, returns to his roots in pulpy criminal fare such as Cop Car (2015) with this slick, star-studded production. Adopting a polished but generic aesthetic, the experience plays as though Watts, also the screenwriter, was trying to replicate the tone and detached confidence of a Steven Soderbergh feature. But he doesn’t quite nail it. Stars Clooney and Pitt serve as producers here, and while onscreen, they replicate some of that cool-as-a-cucumber energy that made the Ocean’s trilogy so enjoyable. However, between their juvenile name-calling and eye-rolls, their characters hardly seem like serious professionals, and their eventual bond remains so superficial that one struggles to care. Some humor arises from the 60-something actors’ age, from sore backs to cracking knees, enough to think it’s a miracle neither of them says, “I’m gettin’ too old for this shit.” Still, this is a pale substitute for Ocean’s Fourteen. 

Their buddy dynamic doesn’t become congenial until well into the movie, though its arrival seems inevitable from the moment they first appear onscreen together. Until then, there’s a low-key energy to this story about cleaning up a body for a district attorney (Amy Ryan), eventually leading to an elaborate drug deal gone wrong, punctuated by a sympathetic and funny supporting role from Austin Abrams. The impetus barely registers, leaving Clooney and Pitt’s charm to pick up the slack. But Watts’ predictable script doesn’t give these iconic actors much to do, and the abrupt ending leaves one thoroughly unsatisfied. The whole thing feels underwritten and concludes just as it’s getting good, clearly relying on the appeal of its two leads to compensate for its deficiencies. Stars of Clooney and Pitt’s caliber are made by working on superb material again and again, while movies like Wolfs fill the spaces in between.