Review Detail

 

Wolf, starring Jack Nicholson, is the unusual story about a top level, but aging, tired looking news editor, Will Randall, who is bitten by a wolf on a country road in Vermont after hitting it with his car and then trying to help it.   He begins to turn into a werewolf.  At the same time,  a rich investor, played by Christopher Plummer,  buys the firm, and throws a party during which he takes Nicholson aside to tell him he is being fired. His replacement is a young wise-guy who Nicholson thought was his friend, Stewart Swinton, played by James Spader.   Nicholson, snarling with rage, bites the traitor, who also begins to grow hair and fangs just like Nicholson.   Does this sound ridiculous?  I would say so, except for the excellent acting by Nicholson and Spader, and the supporting cast.  There are a lot of references to the werewolf theme, such as a full moon, horses that shy away from Nicholson, thick growth of hair around his wound and his developing acute sense of smell.  This keen sense of smell allows him to catch his wife, played by Kate Nelligan, in an adulterous affair when he smells her lover's scent on her clothing. His sense of hearing and vision greatly improve also and now, instead of the tired, aging man working at the publishing house, he is now energized and stronger.   While all this is happening, Laura, the millionaire's daughter, played by Michelle Pfeiffer, gets close to Nicholson and becomes his lover and confidant, as she is happy to befriend any enemies of her father.
Wolf is really a pretty good movie, as a Jack Nicholson movie can't ever be bad, and the story with the special effects and great cast keeps the viewers engaged until the end.