Wolfs Movie Review: Never thought a day would come when I’d be bored by George Clooney and Brad Pitt bromancing each other, having always turned to the Ocean’s trilogy for comfort over the years. Yet here we are. Clooney and Pitt star in Wolfs, a new crime-comedy by Jon Watts, the director behind the MCU Spider-Man films. They play two fixers assigned to the same task, but each prefers to be the 'lone wolf'—hence the satirically misspelt title, Wolfs. Like the movie’s existence, the title makes little sense unless the filmmakers didn’t want it confused with a Jason Momoa werewolf movie. Yes, that exists. Fans Go Wild for George Clooney and Brad Pitt at ‘Wolfs’ Premiere With Cheers and Whistles (Watch Video).

A senator (Amy Ryan) accidentally ends up with the dead body of a young boy after a hotel rendezvous. Panicked, she calls a number given to her by someone mysterious, and in comes the first fixer (Clooney) to clean up the mess. What she doesn’t know is that her hotel room has hidden surveillance. To avoid a scandal, the hotel calls in another fixer (Pitt) at the same time. The two meet, and it’s dislike at first sight—no real explanation given—yet they’re forced to work together.

The night gets even more complicated when they discover four packets of drugs hidden in the room, which they suspect the 'dead' boy was supposed to deliver. Now, they must figure out who the drugs belong to and make the drop. To make things worse, the boy (Austin Abrams) isn’t actually dead, and they now have to deal with a drugged-out kid as well.

Watch the Trailer of 'Wolfs':

On paper, the premise of one chaotic night sounds wacky, and the allure of having two stars like Clooney and Pitt should add some zing. Even if just for nostalgia’s sake, it’s tempting to see these two create fireworks with their charm, suaveness, and witty banter. But what if, behind that promising banter, all you see is the hollow dazzle of the paycheck that brought these stars back on screen? Wouldn’t that be a bummer? ‘Wolfs’ Sequel: George Clooney and Brad Pitt To Reunite for New Action Comedy.

A Still From Wolfs

That was exactly how I felt half an hour into the movie. After being introduced to the fixers and hearing their lacklustre roasts, the magic quickly wore off. To be fair, the first 15 minutes were decent—the senator’s panic, the introduction of the fixers, and their attempts to size each other up—had promise. But then I waited for the laughs, and they never came. At least, not from Clooney and Pitt. The two funniest moments actually come from Austin Abrams (The Walking Dead): one in a slow-motion scene where he’s hit by the fixers’ car, and another during a long monologue where he rants about why he has the drugs.

A Still From Wolfs

Clooney and Pitt look cool and suave as always, but their chemistry feels dulled—a serious concern if they plan to make another Ocean’s movie together. Perhaps part of the problem lies in Jon Watts’ flat direction, which doesn’t make the black comedy work in places where it should. Scenes often feel stretched, as though Watts needed to pad the runtime, like the overly long chase where the fixers try to catch the freaked-out boy. In fact, the scene I found most interesting after the opening sequence turns out to be mere sequel bait. As I said, bummer!

'Wolfs' Movie Review - Final Thoughts

Wolfs feels like a wasted opportunity, especially with stars like Clooney and Pitt at the helm. What could have been a slick, fun crime caper ends up being a drawn-out, uninspired affair. The charm that usually carries these two actors through is missing, and the humour feels flat. Instead, we’re left with a lukewarm, forgettable film that doesn’t justify its own existence—let alone a sequel. Wolfs is streaming on Apple TV+.

Rating:2.0

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 27, 2024 08:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).