adrianovasconcelos I watched WOLFEN when it first came out (1981, I think) and remember marveling at the "negative" effects, memorably when Finney makes love to Venora. I watched it again recently and, inexorably, those then special effects produced derision only from my children, who are used to computer effects. That said, I still enjoyed Finney's laid-back performance, Hines' snappy lines, and the wolves are gorgeous. Sadly, Olmos' qualities are wasted in a ludicrous role, Venora seems to be around just to appear in the above mentioned memorable lovemaking sequence, direction is patchy at best and the story takes a great deal of suspending your disbelief. Oddly, there is something surprisingly good natured about this purported horror flick.

Phil Hubbs Adapted from a novel of the same name, yet after a bit of reading the movie is quite different from the book. With a title like this you'd think this film was about werewolves, but you'd be wrong. In fact it kinda depends on what source you go by, the book is sort of about werewolves, a species of creature that are descended from wolves, intelligent and probably more like werewolves than in this film. In the movie there are no werewolves and no creatures descended from the wolf line.And there lies the problem with this movie, no werewolves. The plot is all about these mysterious murders in New York, bodies are turning up badly mutilated or half eaten and everyone knows there aren't any alligators in the sewers doing this so...what gives?! Fear not, along comes the most unlikely monster hunter in the form of Albert Finney to try and crack the case, with the help of his female partner and the plucky coroner played by Gregory Hines. Now this isn't a jokey action packed supernatural thriller, oh no, its actually a reasonably slow paced detective story as we follow Finney and co snooping around in the Bronx.For the most part its quite intriguing I can't deny, I had no clue who or what was actually killing these people. You're not so sure if its actually a supernatural beastie or just some looney tune, someone close to Finney perhaps. Without trying to give the game away it is disappointing how they go about this movie, the alterations they make. Like I said in the book there are actually genuine creatures on the prowl, here in the movie they substitute monsters for wolf spirits, or more accurately, Native American wolf spirits. I'm still not sure if these wolves were actually the Native American descendants Finney's character follows up on, these guys claim they are shapeshifters in the movie. Seeing as in the book the creatures are descendants of wolves, it makes sense in this movie that the wolf spirits on the loose are Native American descendants. It never really confirms this concept (I don't think) but I'm guessing the local Natives were the wolves, or they were able to summon them maybe. What really disappointed me was the fact the wolves actually did look like proper wolves, they actually used real wolves in the movie. This of course ties in with the new Native American angle they use, but I found it an anti-climax because I wanted to see something more terrifying, more of a monster, pack of monsters. The whole movie has this pretty decent eerie atmosphere going on showing us wolf POV, how they stalk their prey, their vision, how they attract prey by making ghostly baby noises etc...Then they merely turn out to be actual wolves that you can see in the zoo or where ever. I didn't find that scary, after all the great buildup, dark moody moments and horrific deaths...they just turn out to be actual wolves.Speaking of the wolf POV shots, well blow me down if John McTiernan didn't swipe ideas from this movie for 'Predator'. I kid you not! I have read this movie is notable for its early use of thermography/thermal imaging with the wolf vision sequences. You see these sequences and right away you know McTiernan probably pinched the idea for his Arnie vehicle, but jazzed it up a bit with bolder colours. Its these sequences that really add some spice to the wolf antics in the movie, mainly because for the most part you believe its a monster or werewolf and these sequences are darn effective conveying that. What's more I do firmly believe Alan Silvestri also pinched the musical score from this film for that particular Arnie vehicle! You listen to it throughout this film and its pretty obvious if you ask me, its nearly identical! All this time I thought McTiernan and co had spearheaded such an original franchise and material.Its certainly dated these days but the gore effects hold up well, very well actually. There's something a bit off about it all though, I guess the sight of these Native American fellas and their own little bar in downtown NY doesn't quite seem to fit in with the surroundings. I can't help but think the whole thing would have worked better in the wilderness or a smallish town out west, the sight of these wolves running around the city looks more out of place than scary really. Again the choice of Finney in the lead was an odd one if you ask me, he also doesn't quite fit into the NY surroundings. Its definitely an off-kilter movie and slightly misleading at the same time, the book does sound much better and more of what you'd expect.6/10

siderite This movie was recommended to me as one of the few good "wolf" films and I have to agree with the guy that it is a pretty smart movie. Now, it isn't perfect and I am sure that none of the people involved in it thought it was a masterpiece, but some bits of the film are pure genius.For example the first murder scene. It is a killing done through the eyes of the predators. They move silently and stealthily, they use the terrain and work as a pack. When one of them is seen by the guy with a gun, it is on purpose, so that another can tear the armed hand from him. It is not terror by special effects, but by the realization that if you are hunted like this, you have no chance of escape, no matter how armed or smart you are.The film goes on like this, alternating the weird 80s scenes with the smart filming and scripting. When all is said and done, most of the people in the film were extremely good actors and the direction was spot on.Bottom line: not a standard horror movie in any way. Actually, it barely has elements of horror, but it is a good thriller. It is NOT about werewolves. The "monsters" are not shown till the end, where they are not as monstrous as one might have thought. The end was pretty lame, but it tried to make some sort of ecological point; it was missed completely. I guess this film could be done in a sort of modern manner, but the premise would have to be altered a bit. The spirit of the movie (pun intended), though, should remain the same. Oh, and the young Indian guy is admiral Adama; I didn't recognize him.

bayardhiler "Wolfen" is one of those films that manages to combine different themes and elements. On the one hand, it is a horror film, a cop film, and a murder mystery. On the other hand, it is also a supernatural movie that has a spiritual message that says we are not as powerful as we think we are. The movie begins through the eyes of something non human. We don't know what it is, but whatever it is, it sees things in a different vision and can hear a whole lot better than we can. In the next scene, we see a wealthy big shot, his wife, and bodyguard get brutally killed by the same non-human entity. Needless to say, the killings make front page news. Enters our hero, Captain Dewey (played by Albert Finney) along with Gregory Hines, who plays a coroner's assistant. At first, its believed that terrorists were involved. Soon enough, however, Dewey realizes that only something non- human could have done it. As it turns out, other people in the slums have been killed in similar ways. Dewey eventually learns from the local Native American population (one of whom is played by the great Edward James Olmos) that the culprit he is after is called the wolfen, powerful beings who have lived among the human race, hunting the weak and the sick, who now hide out in the urban jungles. This is a very interesting movie. The point of view of the creatures is very well done, we also have some great shots of the urban decay of New York at that time. And while Albert Finney does not sound like a New Yorker (his British accent does come through here and there) he manages to give a pretty convincing performance of a burned out detective who has probably seen one too many dead bodies in his career. Its also interesting to see Gregory Hines in a horror movie, since I don't believe he ever starred in another one. Never the less, he plays the part well, adding a little bit of comedy. A number of people had issues with the movie, and I'll admit it did drag a little bit in some parts and the ending was just a little weak. However, if you're in the mood for something different from your usual werewolf movie, "Wolfen" would not be a bad way to spend your time. Also starring Diane Venora. 8 out of 10.