Opened: June 17, 1994

Directed by: Mike Nichols

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Michelle Pfeiffer, James Spader, Kate Nelligan, Richard Jenkins, Christopher Plummer, Eileen Atkins, David Hyde Pierce, Om Puri, Ron Rifkin, Prunella Scales, Brian Markinson, Peter Gerety, Bradford English, Stewart J. Zully, Thomas F. Duffy, David Schwimmer & Allison Janney

By elevating the typical werewolf story with a strong cast, Wolf may not always be good, but it’s spectacularly acted.

Will Randall (Jack Nicholson) runs into a wolf one night and when he goes to check if it’s alive, it bites him. When strange occurrences begin happening after the bite, Will confides in Laura (Michelle Pfeiffer), the daughter of his boss Raymond (Christopher Plummer). Meanwhile, Stewart (James Spader) is gunning for Will’s job.

Nicholson turning into a werewolf is as great as you’d expect, especially since he leans into the seriousness of it. Pfeiffer brings more than the damsel stereotype to her role with strength in Laura’s odd position.

The film plays too ominous at the start and could’ve spent time building suspense rather than pushing a storyline we know is coming anyway.

Final say: You’ll likely howl for this. ★★★☆☆