Wolfen (1981)

Directed by Michael Wadleigh. Starring Albert Finney, Diane Venora, Gregory Hines, Dick O’Neill, Edward James Olmos, Tom Noonan, Dehl Berti. (R)

NYC cop Finney partners with forensic psychologist Venora to solve mysterious (and brutal) murders that appear to have been committed by something inhuman, possibly even a wolf. Sometimes misidentified as a werewolf movie, this slow-paced but uncommonly perceptive thriller uses the concept of shapeshifting in a symbolic fashion, relegating almost all of the stalking/slaughtering material to the final third. Generates solid suspense for a while, but the climax goes overboard and starts resembling the exploitation fare it had cleverly sidestepped up to that point. James Horner composed the score, parts of which he’d repurpose for future compositions (it will sound very familiar to fans of Star Trek II and Aliens). Hines and Noonan do good work in supporting roles; Tom Waits plays the piano and sings in a cameo.

67/100