“Wolfs” Succeeds When Stars Shine

Wolfs (Jon Watts, 2024) 3½ out of 5 stars

For the last several decades, the idea of the “fixer” has been accepted as commonplace in modern media: a meticulous lone wolf who is the best there is at making things go away, as seen in films like La Femme Nikita or Pulp Fiction. In his new film, Wolfs, writer/director Jon Watts (Spider Man: No Way Home) seeks to add his own spin on the trope by combining it with another classic: a mismatched odd couple, here played by George Clooney (The Midnight Sky) and Brad Pitt (Babylon). Best known for their pairing in Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s trilogy, the duo reunites in a slick, entertaining comedy that works best when you don’t think too hard about it.

Clooney and Pitt play two unnamed New York fixers who get called to dispose of the same dead body. Both are experienced professionals who prefer working alone, so they initially resent each other’s presence. However, the two are forced to work together when the job turns out to be more complicated than they thought. As they traverse across Manhattan to cover their clients’ tracks, Clooney and Pitt uncover a layered conspiracy involving rival drug kingpins, stolen heroin, the New York District Attorney, and an anonymous hotel owner. The two spend so much time trying to find an explanation that they eventually just give up trying and focus on finishing the job.

The audience will most likely do the same in this case, since the “why” of the conspiracy does not really matter by the end. It’s more of a tool to get Clooney and Pitt from one scene to the next, with their interactions in between making up the bulk of the movie. The only downside of this approach is that some of the story threads mentioned earlier are practically abandoned by the second act. Not to mention that some plot reveals happen so late that the ending feels a little abrupt. Thankfully, our two leads have enough chemistry for the rest of the film to work.

Clooney and Pitt play to their individual strengths as actors: Clooney’s fixer is precise and methodical with his work, while Pitt’s is more laissez-faire but still competent. In classic buddy-movie fashion, as the two spend time together they adapt to each other’s styles and realize just how similar they are. Their dynamic deliberately draws from previous duos in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Lethal Weapon, with Watts even referencing the “1, 2, 3” running gag from the latter. However, unlike those two films, Watts gets more mileage out of his lead actors’ ages. Clooney and Pitt embrace the fact that they are in their sixties, mining humor out of bad backs and reading glasses. It helps sell the idea that these two have been fixers for a while, which makes their eventual bond more believable.

Wolfs is a fun time at the movies, a throwback to older action films that relied mostly on star power to work. Watts’ direction is fluid and engaging, with two veteran actors more than game to play off each other on screen. The film certainly runs into problems with its narrative, but this does not detract too much from the experience. If you just let the fixers do what they do best, you will definitely have a good time.

George W. Campbell

George W. Campbell is a director/screenwriter/editor from Bowie, Maryland, whose films focus on themes of family and personal relationships. As a Nicaraguan-American filmmaker, he aims to highlight specific parts of his culture and personal experiences (songs, dances, foods, and language).