WOLFS. It’s better in a pack

Cinema doesn’t have to be purely lofty entertainment. George Clooney and Brad Pitt know this well, as their film “Wolfs” is a perfect watch for a laid-back evening with friends, acquaintances, or family.

The Hollywood legends have reunited in a film once again. That sentence alone sounds wonderful, as everyone seems to love reunions, especially one like this! We’ve seen Clooney and Pitt together on screen before, in “Ocean’s Eleven” (2001), and that movie laid the groundwork for this year’s “Wolfs”. Both actors once again play specialists in special operations, but this time, instead of causing damage, their job is to fix it. They are what you might call “fixers”, shadowy figures whose identities remain unknown to the audience (they are nameless in the film), appearing only in moments of crisis.

One such situation arises during an unfortunate night at a hotel involving Margaret (Amy Ryan), an influential politician who finds herself in a compromising position (mainly in the media, but also personally). It’s no surprise she decides to call a certain magical number—a number she once received from an unknown source—and the person who answers is none other than George Clooney (yes, we never learn his character’s name). With lightning speed, our (anti)hero arrives at the scene to the tune of Sade’s “Smooth Operator.” Clooney’s character is somewhat like the titular “smooth operator”: like a sensitive lover, he takes care of “cleaning up” the site of unfortunate events. He does so with grace and charm, treating his work like an art form. However, not everything can be planned out perfectly, and tonight won’t go quite so “smoothly.”

Things get complicated when, after a quick assessment of what happened during Margaret’s fateful night, an unexpected guest arrives at the hotel suite. It turns out to be another “fixer” (yes, this term rules, seriously!), another nameless “ghost,” none other than Brad Pitt. It seems there were cameras in the room, and the hotel owner decided not to trust the police, who would likely flood the hotel with a horde of journalists. A politician and a scandal? Bad publicity would spread in no time. The problem arises because both men usually work solo. They are so-called Wolfs who don’t exactly know how to cooperate with others. However, as the situation becomes more complicated, and both are too proud to walk away from the job, they (very reluctantly) decide to join forces to help Margaret out of her mess. They face a long night, during which neither will get a wink of sleep.

That’s basically how it plays out: in Jon Watts’ latest film, Clooney and Pitt spend two hours cleaning up someone else’s mess. It’s a unique type of movie, as the initial setup (described above) continues all the way to the end. “Wolfs” feels like a collection of sketches where two professionals learn to work together, overcoming increasingly absurd obstacles. Their relationship is perfectly described by the English title of the film. The word “wolf” in the plural should be “Wolfs.” But here we have “Wolfs” (with an added “s” to the singular), a title implying that they are indeed two Wolfs who are not adapted to pack life. Two Han Solos when there’s only one Millennium Falcon: a pairing that has no business succeeding.

Aside from the classic action scenes (shooting, running, chases, and more shooting), the film offers fantastic chemistry between these two Hollywood stars. Their timing is impeccable; sometimes they understand each other without words, but more often, they banter constantly. The foundation of “Wolfs” rests on situational humor, and every scene is designed to entertain and play with the audience’s expectations. What these two “cleaners” are doing is of the utmost importance, with no room for laughter—yet Watts, in his script, defies stereotypes and proves that even in cleaning up bodies, there can be a bit of comedic chaos. It’s a light and satisfying film for an evening with loved ones. Nothing deep, but plenty of good, uncompromising fun. In other words, classic Hollywood at its best.