Synopsis
A New York City cop and an expert criminologist trying to solve a series of grisly deaths in which the victims have seemingly been maimed by feral animals discover a sinister connection between the crimes and an old legend.
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Cast
- Albert FinneyDewey Wilson
- Diane VenoraRebecca Neff
- Edward James OlmosEddie Holt
- Gregory HinesWhittington
- Tom NoonanFerguson
- Dick O'NeillWarren
- Dehl BertiOld Indian
- Peter Michael GoetzRoss
- Sam GrayMayor
- Ralph BellCommissioner
Recommendations
- 88
Chicago Sun-Times
What is perhaps most interesting about Wolfen is that the story remains plausible given its basic assumptions, of course. This is not sci-fi, fantasy or violent escapism. It's a provoking speculation on the terms by which we share this earth with other creatures. - 75
TV Guide Magazine
Although occasionally preachy, it is a fascinating horror tale that is as engrossing as it is horrifying. - 70
The New York Times
Wolfen is so good-looking that one tends to ignore a certain but very real inner vacuity. - 70
Time Out London
The camera's vision is a fresh one, and though the wolf's eye view sequences threaten at first to become a nuisance, they are soon justified as a dramatic device, and ultimately as essential to the plot. - 70
Variety
Wolfen is consistently more interesting than it is thrilling. Wadleigh creates a surreal point-of-view for the killers that works effectively, accented by handy digital sound. - 60
Newsweek
You cannot accuse Wolfen of dullness. Though he hasn't the least interest in developing his characters, Wadleigh keeps you on your toes with a steady diet of dismembered bodies, red herrings (make that Red for the terrorists and Indians) and the sheer lunacy of the concept, which must be seen to be disbelieved. [03 Aug 1981, p.51] - 40
Washington Post
Albert Finney and a fine supporting cast try very hard, but they are frustrated at every turn by directionless direction and special effects that for the most part diminish the shocks and totally gut the climax. [24 July 1981, p.21] - 38
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
This denouement, even without its obviously reprehensible politics, is weak; it's also extremely confusing and confused. It does, however, manage to catch that nebulous ideological zone where white man's guilt, which decries the technological greed of our dog-eat-dog world, can go overboard in justifying the natural appetite of dog-eat-man. [27 July 1981]
