Reviewed by Chris McEneany, 8th October 2009
Personally, I quite like this film. It doesn't follow any conventional path. We have no typical moonlit prowlings and murders, and the story works best as a satire on voracious business acumen as opposed to the more sensational and supernatural elements. Sadly, where it fails abysmally is in the spring-heeled action that the beast-men suddenly seem capable of and the inevitable dust-up, no matter how fierce the mutual scratching becomes, is a definite disappointment, despite some admittedly terrific snarls and contorted expressions of bestial rage.
Nicholson and Spader are certainly chewing substantial bites out of their roles, and there is able support from Plummer and Nelligan. But Pfeiffer's character is a daft and clichéd addition, and the rest of the cast all suffer from woeful dialogue and insipid motivation, leaving the film feeling uniquely broad with big character moments that are then undermined by ham-fisted hangers-on and low-rent bit-parters. Sony and Columbia put out a transfer that is definitely ahead of its SD predecessor and, although nothing to write home about, still looks pretty darn decent for an unloved and mostly forgotten-about film from 1994. Without any extras, this particular Wolf is sadly left forlorn and adrift outside of its den, which is an undeniable shame considering that the makers could have shed some light on its troubled rearing, and subsequent theatrical drubbing. Surely
something could have been found.
As a werewolf yarn, Wolf is a concerted disappointment that appears to have been made by people who erroneously assume audiences have just as little knowledge of the format as they evidently do. But, alongside this, there is a delightful air of nostalgia about the makeup and the veritable restraint that the film exhibits.
Wolf, therefore, is recommended for fang 'n' fur fans who are seeking either lycanthropic completion or just fancy a slice of Wolf Man Jack at his most idiosyncratic and hirsute. A troubled mainstream attempt at a genre movie, then, but still an amusingly enjoyable one that manages to provide some laughs, some snarls and the sight of Jack Nicholson piddling on a rival's feet.
Read the full review... 
E. & O.E.
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