Wolf -- fresh air in world of films seeking sensasionalism

By Sean Cole

JAKARTA (JP): Yes, "the animal is out" but it leaves no scars as it exits the screen and joins the audience.

In a world of films that try to incite and manipulate, provoke reaction through hectic sensationalism, Wolf is a breath of fresh air. The most surprising and gratifying aspect of the movie is that it makes no undue effort to surprise; its gratification is not instant. And like most Mike Nichols films (The Graduate, Lenny, Working Girl, etc.), Wolf is proof that you do not have to beat an audience over the head in order to effect it.

We are spoiled, though. In order to bare the brunt of most action films and thrillers we have had to thicken our skins; our tolerance has necessarily raised. With the steady intake of anything potent we become desensitized to its effects -- knowing only that we constantly need something stronger to satisfy us.

It's no different with films. We have come to expect explosion and violence in the films we watch, not just in content but in technique. If it is not delivered, we feel that the movie falls flat. Thus have many film-makers gone to exhaustive efforts to reach the next level of excessiveness. Audiences keep coming back, their tolerance increases and the circle becomes more vicious.

This is not to say that there is anything wrong with intensity and confrontationalism in the cinema if it is done well, just that an unbalanced diet of any kind is unhealthy. If we let it, Wolf could go so far as to show us the transparency of brute- force in film-making. Unfortunately, we are so used to this force that the quiet subtlety, pensiveness and passiveness might pass many of us by. You might sit there and begin to wonder why you're watching this, when is the action going to start. But Wolf must be watched with a more patient eye. Nichols shows us that focused, penetrating economy of word and expression can reach us more directly -- and reside within us much longer -- than a city- block being leveled in one blink.

Old story

It's an old story that has been told many times before. A man gets bitten on the hand by a strange wolf and so starts to become one. However, another nice aspect of the film is not its original approach, but that it makes no pretensions of having one. Wolf claims no trump card or new and improved super ingredient. It seems more a homage, a warm revival of an old theme and is more like visiting an old friend than having a world-shattering experience. That is its charm.

That said, there can also be found some extremely engaging and effective technical work in Wolf. Again, though, there is nothing so obvious that it calls attention to itself, nothing self- consciously "interesting." The methods of transition from scene to scene, the midnight man-animal chase scenes are not so complex that they distract the viewer. No one is trying to impress us, just deliver the best work that they can. There is just enough to evenly and thoroughly rivet our attention -- like a small, swinging pendulum or repeating chime -- so the engagement is complete.

Further, Mike Nichols' name is written all over it. One can see his signature even in the choice of building to be New York's MacLeish Publishing House (a wide, open, multi-leveled, age-old building reminiscent of the first days of the press) where the protagonist, Will Randall (Jack Nicholson) is editor-in-chief; one can see it more readily in the fact that all of the action, the whole progression of the film, is smooth and languid from beginning to end.

Also in terms of "revisiting," though, we also find old friends in the cast. Jack Nicholson, Michelle Pfiffer (who plays his love interest and boss' daughter Laura Alden) and James Spader (his antagonist, the conniving Stewart) do not stretch leaps and bounds to give the performances of their careers. They do not have to.

What Jack Nicholson has given us time and time again is Jack Nicholson and it is more than enough. His wry, controlled cynicism, the aloofness concealing his vulnerable, boyish helplessness, his eyebrows, are time and time again classic and need no altering.

Michelle Pfiffer delivers another version of the jaded and sarcastic yet emotionally strong and heartwarming persona she has done before -- which works better here than it has in some of her other films. To be sure, the two connect much better than they did in Witches of Eastwick. Yet this does not seem to be because of any miracles of direction on Nichols' part. It is apparently more the director's liberation with his actors than his involvement with them.

The engagement of Nicholson and Pfiffer is so complete because it is driven by them and their complementary energies. The production concept was obviously solidified before casting, as opposed to halfway through shooting as with some pictures. Those involved with casting knew what they wanted and knew who could do it. Nicholson and Pfiffer are veteran character actors and guaranteed to give consistent, controlled performances. So the performances are effective because of the actors chosen -- Wolf being the perfect vessel for what these actors do best.

With the calm and control, the airtight nonchalance that exudes from all the performances and technical aspects, Wolf could even make one believe that the old story is not far from the truth. For the only somewhat unusual thing happening in the picture is that its central character is turning into a wolf. The action does not revolve around this. People go on falling in love, betraying, hiring and firing each other as they do everyday.

Add an Einstein-look-alike author with a doctorate in comparative religion who wants Will Randall to bite him; an adulterous wife who is able to carry off the most blatant lies with total, convincing elegance; and two detectives who think that there are more murders during a full-moon because there is "more light" and you have not the most revolutionary picture of the year, but just a truly great movie. Don't expect to be shocked and amazed, just expect to be totally pleased.