Review: Pitt and Clooney as Job-Sharing Loners in a Spidey-Meme Thriller

Brad Pitt and George Clooney portray two sides of the same coin in Jon Watts’s high-concept comedy-thriller, “Wolfs.” In this film, the duo finds themselves double-booked as lone wolves. Jon Watts, known for directing the Spider-Man: Homecoming trilogy, uses this opportunity to create a film that feels like a breath of fresh air. However, the result is almost a real-life depiction of the meme featuring two Spider-Men pointing at each other.

The story begins with a classic exterior night view of the Manhattan skyline. A crash of glass and a woman’s scream set the stage. Margaret, played by Amy Ryan in a fairly thankless role, has been with a young stud she met at a bar. When the kid ends up dead, she makes a desperate call to Clooney’s character, believing he’s the only man for the job. Meanwhile, the hotel calls Pitt’s character, who also believes he’s the go-to guy. The central conflict arises from the fact that both men think they are lone wolves.

Although the stars’ characters are listed as Nick and Jack, the film implies that we should regard them as Pitt and Clooney. There’s a subtle yet unmissable effort to blur the distinction between the actors and their roles.

If the roles were swapped, with Pitt as Jack and Clooney as Nick, it likely wouldn’t have made much difference. These characters are essentially identical, sharing the same gravelly voice, narrowed stare, black leather jackets, and greying stubble. Their appearance often verges on the comical, resembling a Hollywood version of “The Hairy Bikers” on a mission to chase a semi-naked youth around town.

Nick and Jack’s task appears simple at first, but complications arise. The young stud, referred to as Kid and played with a charmingly awkward demeanor by Austin Abrams, is not actually dead and manages to escape. He ends up running amok through Lower Manhattan in his underwear, with Nick and Jack hot on his trail, complaining about their age and bad backs.

The film remains a silly, self-indulgent crime caper, but the evident enjoyment of its stars infuses their sense of fun into the audience. Plot twists are frequent, and the stakes keep rising. There’s a bag of drugs in a trunk and a group of Albanian gangsters lurking in a car park. Despite these obstacles, Nick and Jack fancy themselves as smooth operators, constantly playing Sade’s “Smooth Operator” in their car.

The kid, mistaken for a partner, laughs and comments, “You’re basically the same guy.” This line underscores the central joke of “Wolfs,” which, while amusing initially, turns into a limitation as the caper drags on. Great buddy movies thrive on both common ground and friction. The best examples involve contrasts in styles, much like Redford needed Newman and Djokovic needs Nadal. Watts’s two wolves, however, can do little more than growl and howl, eventually losing their appeal.

“Wolfs” was screened at the Venice film festival. It will be available in North American cinemas from September 20 and on Apple TV+ globally from September 27.