Wolf Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Wolf Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 29, 2017

Mike Nichols' "Wolf" (1994) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British label Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; exclusive new documentary produced by Fiction Factory; large collection of archival interviews with cast and crew members; original promotional materials; and more. The release also arrives with a limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by critic Brad Stevens, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and historic articles on the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The change

The original theatrical poster for Mike Nichols’ film Wolf makes it painfully obvious what would become of Jack Nicholson’s character, Will Randall -- a werewolf. On it you can clearly see the beast’s yellow eye, the extra facial hair; the background is all black, adding to the expectation that the film will be about a powerful and dangerous creature. What is unclear is how the creature will come alive -- instantly or after an event that triggers some sort of a transformation, like in the classic vampire films where a kiss typically unleashes the evil.

Nichols chooses the second option. Randall, who is one of the top editors in a prestigious publishing house in New York City, is bitten by a lone wolf on a dusty road in the middle of nowhere. First he actually hits it with his car, but when he pulls over to see if it is still alive the wounded animal bites his hand. A day later the overworked and frustrated editor who is on the verge of losing his job begins to feel the transformation -- he can see better, hear better, smell better. Even his wife (Kate Nelligan) notices the difference after he makes love to her like a young sailor who hasn’t been with a woman in months.

There are two other events, however, that complete Randall’s character transformation. The first is a casual encounter with Laura Alden (Michelle Pfeiffer), the daughter of the owner of the publishing house, who is at odds with her father and his beliefs and has intentionally isolated herself in a desperate attempt to preserve her sanity. Then there is the shocking discovery that another low-ranking editor, Stewart Swinton (James Spader), has been instrumental in the destruction of his professional image and ultimately responsible for his inevitable firing.

Randall and the werewolf that is slowly taking over his body and soul go to war -- the former desperately trying to reverse the transformation so that he can have a normal future with Laura who has fallen in love with him, while the latter basically confronting everyone that is responsible for his pre-planned professional destruction. It is an intense and brutal war that can be ended only when there is one absolute winner.

Wolf isn’t one of the better films in Nichols’ oeuvre. It tries very hard to find the right balance between old-fashioned Gothic horror ambience of the type that exists in Jacques Tourneur’s Cat People and flashy Hollywood action, but it clearly struggles and at the end the only thing that actually makes it look somewhat legit is the good chemistry between its stars. In fact, it is probably fair to say that had it not been for Nicholson’s presence the editor’s entire transformation would have been incredibly disappointing. Nicholson adds an interesting edge to it and at the same time finds plenty of good opportunities to outsmart his opponents with an attitude that infuses the film with nice humor. But this is pretty much it. The script is very straightforward and loaded with massive amount of clichés that these types of films typically rely on to deliver the right thrills that horror fans expect from them.

Two legends of Italian cinema were involved with this project. It was lensed by the great cinematographer Giuseppe Rotunno (Luchino Visconti’s The Leopard, Bob Fosse’s All That Jazz), while maestro Ennio Morricone delivered the memorable soundtrack.

Wolf Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Mike Nichols' Wolf arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

The release is sourced from an old and pretty average master. (If you are wondering if it is the same master that was used for the North American release in 2009, the answer is yes). There are a few daylight segments where delineation and clarity are decent, but depth is typically unconvincing, and during the overwhelming majority of the nighttime footage the visuals actually become disappointingly flat. As it is the case with many older Sony masters it appears that digital work was done to manage grain across the board, and as a result grain appears flattened as well. (Sony's master for James Brooks' As Good as it Gets with Jack Nicholson, for instance, is done in exactly the same fashion -- with an across the board filter of some sort). So the larger your screen is, the easier it will be for you to see the shortcomings of the current master. The good news is that there are no traces of problematic sharpening adjustments. Colors are stable and rather well saturated, but there are missing ranges of nuances. Also, there is visible black crush that affects the overall balance. Image stability is excellent. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Wolf Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the film with the original LPCM 2.0 Stereo track and was enormously impressed. At some point it was probably fully remastered because it has outstanding depth, clarity, and a hugely impressive range of dynamics. Balance is also very good. The dialog is clean, stable, and without even a whiff of age-related limitations. I really, really liked this track.

Wolf Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

NOTE: All of the supplemental features on this Blu-ray release are perfectly playable on North American Blu-ray players, including the PS3.

• Trailer - original trailer for Wolf. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• B-Roll Footage - presented here is archival footage from the shooting of Wolf. In English, not subtitled. (5 min). (3 min).

• The Beast Inside: Creating "Wolf" - this brand new documentary examines the conception of Wolf as well as its visual style and appearance. Included in it are clips from brand new video interviews with producer Douglas Wick, screenwriter Wesley Strick, and special effects artist Rick Baker. The film was produced, edited, written and directed by Robert Fischer from Fiction Factory for Indicator/Powerhouse Films. In English, not subtitled. (56 min).

• Interviews - presented here is a collection of archival interviews in which director Mike Nichols and cast and crew members discuss their involvement with Wolf. In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Mike Nichols (9 min).
  2. Michelle Pfeiffer (1 min).
  3. James Spader (2 min).
  4. Kate Nelligan 2 min).
  5. Producer Douglas Wick (3 min).
  6. Scteenwriter Jim Harrison (3 min).
  7. SFX Artist Rick Baker (2 min).
  8. Production designer Bo Welch (3 min).

• Image Gallery - a large collection of original promotional materials for Wolf.

• Booklet - a limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Brad Stevens, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and historic articles on the film.

Wolf Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The strength of this release comes from the good selection of bonus features. In addition to various archival interviews with Mike Nichols and cast and crew members, there is a very good exclusive new documentary from Fiction Factory, though this isn't exactly a surprise to me because Robert Fischer's work is always of exceptionally high-quality. On the other hand, the release is sourced from an older master that I don't find particularly attractive. It is the same master that Sony Pictures used in 2009 when they prepared the North American release of Wolf. In other words, if you decide to pick up this release, it will have to be primarily for the bonus features.