We all have certain movies we love. Movies we respect without question because of either tradition, childhood love, or because they’ve always been classics. However, as time keeps ticking, do those classics still hold up? Do they remain must see? So…the point of this column is to determine how a film holds up for a modern horror audience, to see if it stands the Test of Time.
DIRECTED BY MIKE NICHOLS
STARRING JACK NICHOLSON, MICHELLE PFEIFFER, JAMES SPADER, CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER
Is it weird that I saw WOLF in theaters twice as an eleven year old?
F*ck no, this movie rocks! Seriously, how many horror flicks in history have ever boasted the A-list pedigree of Mike Nichols’ WOLF? Think about it. Not only is Nichols one of the most lauded film directors of all time (RIP), such a status inevitably attracted similar above-and-below-the-line. However, this one didn’t quite start with Nichols, but rather Nicholson. That’s right, Jack Nicholson reportedly spent 12 years trying to get WOLF made with his writer pal Jim Harrison, and had the power to choose whom he wanted to direct. When it came time, good old Jaaaaaack picked his CARNAL KNOWLEDGE collaborator Mike Nichols and off they went. Of course, Michelle Pfeiffer and Richard Jenkins worked with Nicholson on THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK, and the great Christopher Plummer (who beat out Marlon Brando for the role mind you) simply adds an air of Oscar-caliber sophistication that perfectly mirrors the elegant production design of WOLF as a whole.
Point is, WOLF is a big-budget, A-list horror movie we don’t often see very much anymore. Or frankly ever have. As WOLF turned 25 years old this past full moon, let’s assess how the mythic beast has fared over the past quarter-century. It’s the mother*cking Test of Time yo!
THE STORY: Originally penned by Jim Harrison (COLD FEET, REVENGE) and subsequently punched up by Wesley Strick (CAPE FEAR, ARACHNOPHOBIA), WOLF seems less interested in presenting an original plot and more intent on executing the well-worn premise to an absolute T. Werewolf movies have been around almost since the dawn of cinema, and knowing this full well, Nichols uses age-old werewolf lore and mythology – full moons, enhanced senses, frightened horses, unconscious nighttime attacks, etc. – but also strips much of the cheap B-horror movie tropes of the topic in favor of a more intimate, dramatic character portrait. That is, like many of the best horror films ever made, the story begins as an outright drama that naturally allows for the horrific nature of the story to unfold out such. In fact, the movies legendary makeup artist Rick Baker went on record noting that Nichols was constantly worried about the generic “monster-movie” aspects of WOLF and tried his best to make sure the film was, while highly stylized, still rooted in the believability of its central performers.
As it is, the film starts with Will Randall (Randall apparently translates as “shield-wolf,” meaning his name is Will Shield Wolf, something his character doggedly attempts to throughout the movie) driving down a snowy New England back-road. Visibility is low, and soon Will hits a wolf with his car. Will compassionately checks to see if the beast is dead, and is suddenly bitten on the hand before the wolf slinks off into the snowy woods. Will, editor-in-chief at a top publishing house in New York City, attends a party thrown by his boss Raymond Alden (Plummer), where is summarily fired on the lawn over a cigar. Will’s replacement is Stewart Swinton (the ever sleazy James Spader), a backstabbing weasel Will becomes intent on avenging later on. First however, Will can’t quite shake the newfound transformations his body is suddenly undergoing. The bite on his hand has grown a wild lock of hair, he can smell tequila on the breath of a passing coworker, his hearing intensifies beyond belief, etc. All in all, Will is beginning to feel younger, stronger and more virile just as he’s lost his livelihood.
Soon Will meets Laura Alden (Pfeiffer, ultimately cast after Sharon Stone turned down), a drop-dead gorgeous psychoanalytic nurse who also happens to be Raymond’s daughter. As Stewart steals both Will’s job and his wife, Charlotte Randall (Kate Nelligan, cast after the studio rejected Mia Farrow for the role), Will gets back at both Stewart and Raymond in the most feral and animalistic way imaginable. First, Will visits an old mystic named Dr. Vijay Alezais (Om Puri) who assures him that he was bitten on March 8, 1993 – the day the moon happened to be the closest to Earth in 100 years. Puri gives will an amulet to ward off the rising spirit of the beast. However, it can only quell the beast so much, as an inevitable showdown between Will and Stewart must come in the end to determine who the motherf*cking top dog is, so to speak.
WHAT HOLDS-UP: In the interest of saving time, it’s probably wise to simply say upfront that WOLF holds up in nearly every single filmmaking aspect one can examine. The A-list cast and crew certainly accounts for this, with everything from the opening and closing sequences, top-tier performances, handsome production design; to the score, cinematography and makeup holding serve for the past two and a half decades. Let’s start with the opening though, which thoroughly grabs our attention by setting the tone and immediately establishing the stakes for Will’s fate. On a frosty, full-moon winter night, Will accidentally barrels into a large shaggy wolf in the middle of the road. Thinking it dead, Will examines the wolf and attempts to drag it off the road. A great shot of the beast’s eye opening, then cunningly closing, makes us realize the beast has a sort of dominion over the much younger human species. A second later, Will is savaged by a harrowing bit on his hand before the wolf darts into the woods. The shot of the wolf pack coming out of the shadows, in legion with glowing yellow eyes, is both surreal and terrifying. An absolute perfect way to get things started!
As the film unspools, it becomes harder and harder to deny the brilliant musical score composed by the legendary Italian maestro Ennio Morricone. The sound evokes a sweeping dramatic opera of impending doom around every corner, and yet, when dialed down, also plays with a raw intimacy that’s perfectly suited for the romantic scenes between Will and Laura. It’s a classic sounding score that also pushes new frontiers in terms of the way reiterates damn every human emotion: fear, sadness, happiness, anger, uncertainty, passion, jealousy, rage, and even regret. Between the sounds of Morricone’s pitch-perfect score and the sights of Italian DP Giuseppe Rotunno (Nichol’s CARNAL KNOWLEDGE, AMARCORD, ALL THAT JAZZ, POPEYE, etc.), the sheer aesthetic of WOLF remains one of its absolute strong suits. Even as an eleven year old, those ultra-crisp slow-motion images of the wolves lunging through the air, and in particular the epic battle finale between Will and Stewart, have been indelible scorched into my psyche since laying eyes on them 25 years ago.
And yet, without such convincing performances by some of the best actors on the planet, not even the impressive aesthetic would matter much. We must hand it to Nicholson first and foremost, as he not only brought the movie to fruition, and not only happens to be one of the best to ever do it, but remember, he’s also never shied away from championing horror movies. And not just participating in them, but elevating them to the tune of THE SHINING, THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK, and to a lesser degree, the OG LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS. I love that Nicholson loves horror enough to give them his performative all, even when cats like Kubrick demand he go way over the top with his character. Having just seen WOLF again, and for the first time in probably a decade or so, I can say with brimming confidence that Nicholson utterly owns his role as the embattled lupine lothario torn between his insatiable bloodlust and his willingness to do the right thing. He plays weathered and worn out just as compellingly as he does wily and wilding, something we expect but no less appreciate from an actor of Jack’s caliber!
To know me is to know my undying love for Michelle Pfeiffer, who once again shows her ability to go toe-to-toe with the best heavyweight actors in town. She had chemistry with Jack in EASTWICK, but here shows a whole other dimensional softness and sensitivity that she lends to her role as Laura Alden. Never mind the fact that we get to see Joker mix it up with Catwoman, on a human level even before “the animal is out,” as the tagline suggests, the easygoing rapport between the two seems effortless and unforced. With lesser leading actors, the movie would surely suffer. It’s a critique that extends to the most conniving of yuppie swine in James Spader as Stewart; a bald sycophant to your face and brutal-ass Brutus behind your back. Spader nails these kinds of roles he made famous as Steph in PRETTY IN PINK, and here plays the perfect foil for Will to serve his vindictive vengeance. And while their relationship was adversarial in the movie, notice how Spader would go on to star in Boston Legal, of course created and written by David E. Kelly, Pfeiffer’s hubby. On some Wolves don't die shite!
Everything that holds up in WOLF comes to a head in the ferociously show-stopping finale. It’s here where both Will and Stewart fight to the death as wolf-men under a full moon. Much has been made about WOLF’s release being pushed back 6-8 months in order to reshoot the entire third act. But this is patently false, as only a single shot of Will leaping over the stable gate needed to be recaptured. Even so, the sharp slow-mo imagery of the finale, in which the great Rick Baker gets to demonstrate his most elaborate makeup on the film (for which he drew inspiration from the 1935 WEREWOLF OF LONDON), undoubtedly remains among the movie’s most memorably exciting sequences. The finale, as durable as anything else in the film, shows the brilliant acting, directing, cinematography, makeup, and musical score all in one masterful conclusion!
WHAT BLOWS NOW: At two hours and five minutes, one could argue the romantic second act of the film drags on a bit too long. I might refrain, as we trade off terrifying thrills and chills for more dramatic character building. I personally enjoy the intimate interplay between Will and Laura, but can see how it sort of saps the movies overall momentum. The thing I found less convincing when revisiting the film is how long it takes for Stewart to show signs of demon-wolf transformation, even when he’s bitten fairly early on by Will. When he’s suddenly shown with glowing yellow eyes in confronting Laura, it smacks of feeling silly at best, inauthentic at worst. I mean, as audience members, we know what will happen to Stew, but that it takes so long seems inconsistent with how fast Will morphed into a slavering bloodthirsty beast. It’s a small gripe, as it surely takes a bit longer to turn when bitten from a half-wolf, but it's definitely noticeable.
THE VERDICT: I suppose it comes as little surprise to find that a movie made by Mike Nichols and starring Jack Nicholson would hold up like that goddamn statue of Liberty a quarter-century later. But man, there’s a reason even the eleven-year-old version of myself saw WOLF twice in the theater. It’s an A-list endeavor all around, above and below the line, that can appeal to both children and adults alike. Werewolf yarns are damn near as old as the medium itself, and yet Nichols shows it’s more about the execution of the premise than the novelty of the plot. WOLF is still a damn good movie, and the Test of Time hasn't copped a silver bullet just yet!