But Wolf is something else. Though it predictably follows the usual course of lycanthropic lore, it does so in an atypically adult manner, with strong characters and subtle shading; at times it plays like a gothic version of Patterns. The needlessly expensive film - reportedly $70 million, partly for reasons discussed below - must have disappointed younger horror fans expecting something like An American Werewolf in London. (Multi-Oscar-winner Rick Baker provides the makeup effects in both films.) Even the Blu-ray's back cover text - promising "a beastly tale of love and betrayal with equal measures of humor, passion, and delicious terror" - seems to be talking about another movie. In fact and quite rare for a big Hollywood movie in modern times, Wolf seems tailor-made made for an educated, middle-aged audience, the 16-24-year-old demographic be damned.

Sony's Blu-ray disc is serviceable but utterly unexceptional. There are no extras at all, and to the naked eye the presentation doesn't stand that much apart from a good SD DVD.

Set in New York - though all too obviously shot in Los Angeles - the film casts Nicholson as Will Randall, managing editor at a publishing house (played by the oft-used Bradbury Building) that's about to be taken over by billionaire Raymond Alden (Christopher Plummer), a Rupert Murdoch-type willing to sacrifice intelligence and taste for cheap sensationalism. Mild-mannered Randall considers grabbing loyal writers like Maude (Prunella Scales) and loyal associates like Roy (David Hyde Pierce) to start a new company, but Randall's too old and timid and unassertive, despite his wife's (Kate Nelligan) prodding.

Things quickly go from bad to worse. Randall's devious protégé, Stewart Swinton (James Spader), disloyally maneuvers himself into Randall's job, and what's more it turns out that Swinton has been having a longtime affair with Randall's wife. And, on top of that, after accidentally hitting a wolf with his car and being bitten by the apparently injured animal, Randall is slowly becoming a werewolf himself.

However, the side effects aren't all bad: he develops a heightened sense of smell, of hearing. His sex drive is up and he seems to shed a good 20 years within just a few days of being bitten. He moves out of his apartment and begins a relationship with Alden's rebellious daughter, Laura (Michelle Pfeiffer), as he tries to come to terms with his inexorable metamorphosis.

Though entirely predictable - even its two big surprises are clearly foreshadowed for those paying attention - Wolf works as a character piece about a decent man reluctantly but eventually accepting of a most unusual second chance. It's almost like that classic Twilight Zone episode, "A Stop at Willoughby," about the overworked, unhappy white-collar executive who escapes into 19th century small town Americana, which also happens to be death. The price for Randall's rejuvenation is high - he becomes a werewolf out for blood - but it's a price perhaps worth paying.

The subtlety of the screenplay, by Jim Harrison and Wesley Strick, is reflected in Rick Baker's makeup, which on Nicholson is much more like Henry Hull's subtle WereWolf of London than Lon Chaney Jr.'s Wolf Man. Less overt but actually even more impressive, Baker really does seem to transform 57-year-old Jack into something resembling Nicholson circa the mid-1970s. Some of this is probably Nicholson's doing as well - he seems to have lost weight for the role - and his acting clearly plays a part, but it's much more believable than some of the obviously animatronic wolves appearing in other parts of the film. Nicholson's terrific in what's almost the antithesis of his go-for-broke work on The Shining; here he's extremely but effectively low-key.

A visit to the Central Park Zoo reminds the audience of the Val Lewton Cat People, but Wolf isn't even as scary as that, not that it's really trying to be. There are many scenes throughout with little character gems; especially good is Randall's transcendental visit with a lycanthropy expert (Indian actor Om Puri), which expands upon the genre enormously in terms of character and detail if not so much in terms of plot.

The artificial feel of the picture, perhaps not intentional, is reflected in the obvious soundstage "exteriors" and old-fashioned process shots for scenes of Nicholson and others driving their cars. It's not clear why the film wasn't shot on the east coast but it's painfully obvious throughout that it's not. Then again, perhaps this artifice is by design, a la Coppola's Dracula. Certainly Ennio Morricone's stylized, interesting score adds to this feeling.

Oddly, Nicholson's relationship scenes with Pfeiffer are much less interesting than the office politics involving Spader and Plummer, or his scenes with Nelligan. Pfeiffer can't overcome the obvious problem: Why should the audience care about such an unpleasant, petulant billionaire's daughter? She doesn't help, giving a rather shallow performance, never once allowing the audience to get inside her character's head.

Apparently the last third of the picture was extensively re-shot after preview audiences responded poorly to that part of the film. It's unknown to this writer what changes were made, but the finished film opts for a suspenseful but rather ordinary blood-and-thunder action-thriller climax that adds little to the film, and an epilogue that doesn't really work. Still, in the end, of that mini-revival of interest in the classic movie monsters spurred by Coppola's film, Wolf may be the best of the pack.

Video & Audio

Shot for 1.85:1 projection, Wolf looks only fair on Blu-ray. The image is on the soft side, and rather grainy in the dupey definition of the term rather than the original camera negative sense. It's okay but my advice is if you already own the standard-def DVD you might want to stick with that, while if you don't then by all means buy the Blu-ray. The 1080p disc is effectively region-free.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 audio (adapted from the original Dolby SR and SDDS theatrical versions) has dialogue mixed on the low side, but otherwise has nice directionality and the music sounds great. DTS-HD Master Audio tracks in French and Portuguese are included, along with English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese subtitles. There are no Extra Features at all.

Parting Thoughts

Much better than I expected, Wolf features a fine performance by Jack Nicholson and a screenplay that, though predictable, is smart and adult. Recommended.

Stuart Galbraith IV's latest audio commentary, part of AnimEigo's forthcoming Tora-san DVD boxed set, is available for pre-order, while his latest book, Japanese Cinema, is in bookstores now.