Aided by the brilliant performance of Amy Adams and an engaging storyline, Wolfs delivers a captivating experience, infused with charm and humor by Ocean’s Eleven veterans. Slick, light-hearted, and immensely enjoyable, this comic thriller manages to entertain with ease.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Premiering out of competition at the prestigious Venice Film Festival, Wolfs stands out as a comic thriller propelled by the effortless chemistry between its two stars, George Clooney and Brad Pitt. These long-time friends, who first shared the screen in Ocean’s Eleven, reunite as rival “cleaners” in a gripping narrative set against the backdrop of New York City. Clooney and Pitt, dressed in similar blacks and greys and often speaking in cryptic phrases, blur the lines between their on-screen personas and real-life identities. As Austin Abrams’ character, Kid, aptly remarks, “You’re, like, basically the same guy.”

Interestingly, neither Pitt nor Clooney’s characters are given names in the film, likely because their star power transcends any fictional identity; they are simply Brad and George to the audience.

The story unfolds on a frigid night in New York City when Clooney’s character, a fixer, is summoned to a luxurious penthouse by a visibly distressed District Attorney named Margaret, played by Amy Ryan. In the bedroom lies the seemingly lifeless body of the Kid (Austin Abrams), who has crashed into a drinks trolley. Running a campaign focused on cracking down on crime, the DA knows that if this incident becomes public knowledge, it could spell disaster for her career.

The plot thickens with the arrival of Pitt’s character, who has been hired by the hotel owner to handle the situation. As their identities become compromised, Clooney and Pitt are forced to collaborate, further complicated by the discovery of a bag of drugs and the surprising revelation that the Kid is not actually dead.

This compelling setup truly comes alive when Euphoria star Austin Abrams’ character wakes up and makes a desperate dash through the icy streets of New York in nothing but his underwear.

Directed and written by Jon Watts, known for his work on the recent Spider-Man trilogy starring Tom Holland, Wolfs thrives on its surface-level thrills. Viewers learn very little about Clooney and Pitt’s characters, as their enigmatic lone-wolf personas remain shrouded in mystery. Nonetheless, Watts extracts delightful humor from his seasoned A-listers, including jokes about aging eyesight and a fitting soundtrack featuring Bill Withers’ classic “Just the Two of Us.”

Despite being burdened by a secondary plot—the backstory involving the Kid’s stash of drugs and its ownership feels almost irrelevant—Wolfs excels as a slick piece of mindless entertainment that Hollywood (or Apple, in this case) masters so well.

Austin Abrams shines as the naive youth entangled in high-stakes drama, while Amy Ryan delivers an outstanding performance in her extended cameo. Clooney and Pitt bring undeniable charisma to their roles, even if they don’t surprise us.

Wolfs will be available for streaming on Apple TV+ starting September 27.

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