Wolf (1994)

Directed by Mike Nichols. Starring Jack Nicholson, Michelle Pfeiffer, James Spader, Christopher Plummer, Richard Jenkins, Kate Nelligan, David Hyde-Pierce, Eileen Atkins, Om Puri, Ron Rifkin, Brian Markinson, Prunella Scales. [R]

Wolfish Nicholson is aptly cast as a book editor who’s slowly turning into a wolf; he was bitten by such a beast while traveling through Vermont, and what with his job being in jeopardy because of an ambitious young protégé (Spader) at the publishing house, his marriage falling apart, and a flirtation with the comely but standoffish daughter (Pfeiffer) of the new owner, transforming into a hairy, savage beast is the last thing he needs. A werewolf story for grownups, with less supernatural blood-and-guts horror than corporate cutthroat maneuvers and slow-boil romance. Unfortunately, it’s stuck in the limbo between attempting a sophisticated, metaphorical thriller and meeting the genre’s expectations of snarling, howling, and throat-ripping, so it becomes a bit too silly down the stretch without committing to blood-curdling scares and vivid gore. Worth some measure of appreciation for its novel approach, at least, and although there’s not much heat between them, Nicholson and Pfeiffer prove as reliable as expected. On the other hand, it’s a shame the writing lets down Spader’s snaky traitor for the final act, robbing him of his cunning danger in favor of routine theatrical menace. David Schwimmer and Alison Janney both make brief appearances in early film roles as a policeman and a party guest respectively.

63/100