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Wolfen |  | Director: Michael Wadleigh
Actors: Albert Finney, Gregory Hines, Tom Noonan, Dick O'Neill, Edward James Olmos
Studio: Warner Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $9.98
Buy New: $3.85
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New (38) Used (14) from $3.56
Rating:  46 reviews
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Japanese (Subtitled), Georgian (Subtitled), Chinese (Subtitled), Thai (Subtitled)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 115 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: WARD22019D
ISBN: 0790742861
UPC: 085392201921
EAN: 9780790742861
Theatrical Release Date: July 24, 1981
Release Date: August 13, 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The shivery tale of brutal New York city murders pointing to a heretofore secret breed of wolf-like creatures.
Amazon.com
Wolfen is definitely the oddest and most socially conscious of the three big werewolf movies released in 1981 (the others were The Howling and An American Werewolf in London). Rumpled detective Albert Finney is investigating some brutal NYC murders, which leads him to discover that the collapsing buildings of the South Bronx are home to a pack of very vindictive wolflike creatures. American Indian mythology and environmental issues are more to the point here than silver-bullet lycanthropy. As a police procedural, the movie's a bust, its rhythms wrong and Finney's tortured Brooklyn accent unconvincing. But as a horror-mood piece, it can get under your skin. Some trippy photography, plus a bunch of interesting actors at the beginnings of their film careers (Diane Venora, Gregory Hines, and a lean and hungry Edward James Olmos), outweigh the druggy pace and period hairstyles. Director Michael Wadleigh (Woodstock) never made another feature. --Robert Horton
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 46
 Worth seeing if you missed it in '81. March 23, 2009
C. Rocklein
This film has a lot of atmospere. It turns a late 70s looking NYC into a gothic slum. If you like the tone of movies like the Shining, Howling, etc, then this one will catch your interest. I won't say it's as good as either of those movies, but there's a familiar late 70s vibe in Wolfen which came out in '81. The cinematography is eerie, high quality and artisic. At nearly 2 hours (114 mins) it's moody meandering drags occasionally. But viewers are rewarded with some splendid shots of the city (from atop the Brooklyn bridge, demolition lots in the Bronx, surreal wolfen POV shots etc.), putting it's erie 'Exorcist'-like spell over a now decades old New York (evidence World Trade Center).
I went into this more excited than I came out of it. It's premise is obviously far-flung and probably worked better in the book (which I didn't read). The Wolfen are creatures that ride that line between Native American symbol and Cujo (a great movie I might add) - which could be one of things that weaken the film. We're not sure how exactly to feel about these carnivores 'ridding the pack of the weak and sick'.
The actors carry the piece well though the main detective is a bit stodgy which helps slow the pace, but overall the acting fits and helps create the mood. As the plot really unfolds however, things got a little less intriguing for me, although I'll give 'em this much - they did a lot with the semi-wacky idea they were running on. I guess that's the supernatural for you. I'm happy I saw it. Halfway through the picture I'd have given it 5 stars. By the end I was down to 4 as it didn't reach the excitement level, or cleverness, of classics like The Shining or Exorcist. I wouldn't watch it again, but I'm happy to have seen it once. It certainly deserves that much, and sorry to hear the director never did another picture. He obviously had talent.
Pretty good, not what you might be expecting. January 27, 2009
Puzzle box (Kuwait)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
For an early 80's horror film this is not bad, not bad at all. sure the special effects are a bit pathetic and the dialogue is a tad cliché, but the film does induce a level of fear and paranoia found in any good horror film. Released in 1981 in the middle of the early 80s horror boom, Wolfen was released in the same year as the other two big werewolf pictures An American Werewolf In London and The Howling, and was regarded as the weakest film in the werewolf genre but that isn't really accurate or fair. For a start it's not about werewolves, the wolfen of the title are something else entirely and while John Landis and Joe Dante both took a more light hearted approach, Wolfen is an ambitious and more serious film. Wolfen was also directed by Michael Wadleigh who made the acclaimed concert documentary Woodstock, it seems to be about monsters as nature's payback for man's environmental irresponsibility so it has a strong environmental message. It also touches on the mistreatment of American Indians.
Wolfen opens in a derelict section of the South Bronx where a billionaire head of a big corporation is taking part in a ground-breaking ceremony for an urban renewal project. The billionaire grins for the cameras and the press, and all the while some other eyes with cool heat-vision effects are watching him too. That night the billionaire, his coke-sniffing wife and their bodyguard stop around a Park when they're slaughtered by an unseen attacker. The next morning the police chief calls in retired detective Dewey Wilson (Albert Finney) to investigate. Suspecting terrorism, Dewey first teams up with terrorism expert Rebecca Neff (Diane Venora); but the case soon takes a different turn when coroner's assistant Whittington (Gregory Hines) figures out that the wounds don't look like they were caused by anything human.
A fascinating and atmospheric tale, effectively set in the dark alleys of New York, its only major flaw is it's length. It's only in the last half hour that we discover the true nature and purpose of the wolfen and this being a 114 minute film, the build-up feels dragged out. Also the film-makers serious intentions don't always work with the obligatory monster attacks, but there were some nice gore scenes including a few decapitations. It also helps that the director is not saddled with the silly-looking rubber monsters of other similar film. Wadleigh's wolves are mostly real animals, well trained and effectively directed. Although Wolfen's not very well-known, having been a box office flop in the summer of 1981, it appears to have influenced other films. The shots from the wolves' perspectives have a very similar look to the alien's viewpoint in 1987's Predator, using bright primal colours and heightened sounds to suggest the creatures more advanced senses. And James Horner's music sounds similar his famous score for Aliens which he wrote five years later especially in the suspense sequences. This was definitely an interesting and very good film worth seeing if you enjoy thoughtful horror movies and don't mind a bit of gore. There are no extras to speak of but the widescreen picture is impressive. Sadly the package is let down a little by a weak, slightly out of sync soundtrack.
 big bad wolfen April 18, 2008
Rebecca (Fort Worth, Texas USA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
i have to say i had high hopes for this flick. was i totally let down. while i liked the wolves killing people, i did not like how they added a indian type of theme to it. not my cup of tea. if you like werewolf movies and thinking that what you are going to get out of this one, don't buy it.
 4.75 Stars. There is life that preys on us as we prey on the earth. A Horror film with a message. August 23, 2007
Mike Liddell (Massachusetts)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Wolfen is not a werewolf movie, don't go into this film expecting or wanting that, go into this film with an open mind.
At the beginning of the film a real estate tycoon is killed, his wife, and there driver by something unknown. A New York City Detective Dewey Wilson is put on the case who is played by Albert Finney. Dewey has had personal problems, he eats donuts after running and he delivers quick one liners like a detective in an old film noir. Gregory Hines assists Finney's character as a coroner who is funny and witty, he is the kind of guy we don't want to die in a horror film.
The higher ups want answers to the wealthy important man's death and do everything they can to blame it on terrorism. Wow, hard to believe this was made in 1981 and not today. The real estate tycoon was breaking ground on a new project and was planning on demolishing an entire area of slums, but these slums are a primal hunting ground for something. The film asks us, who are the real savages? Again ringing more true today and how we are destroying the earth and sucking everything we can out of it, but in Wolfen there are consequences, could it be gods we are to answer too?
The atmosphere is also notable you can feel it, from cold breathe showing, the feeling of autumn, the shots of New York, the wind ominously blowing in the night, thunder as something lurks outside our window, all good stuff.
Again, go into this with an open mind and not expecting a Werewolf movie, and you'll experience a lot more, a horror film with a heart and a message and horror fans you may get some blood and heads rolling about.
Why Hollywood? May 13, 2007
E. Barrios (N.Y.C.)
0 out of 4 found this review helpful
Why are so many movies falling under the category of "it had potential"? If you figure it out, drop me a line.
Anyway, let's begin this review by examining the title. Wolfen is a combination of the noun "wolf" + the suffix "-en." The "-en" part means "to increase the quality of." So, what we have here is an "increase" of a "wolf" or to put it another way, more wolf than a regular wolf. This comparison will become obvious to you when you see the second half of the film.
The next thing I want to discuss is Albert Finney. What was the casting director thinking? Finney has a repertoire of two facial expressions when it comes to conveying emotions in this movie. And that hair! It looked like he had the latest in weaving for that time. Ah . . . what's the use.
There is an upside to this film, however. After seeing this movie again, I'm truly convinced that the director for the Predator, John McTiernan, must've been influenced by the wolf effects in this movie. I say this because whenever the camera switches from "human view" to the "wolf view," the heat detecting sound and color scheme looks almost the same as the one used by the Predator itself. It could be a coincidence but . . .
In the end, it had potential. The premise is original though and that's the only reason it got two stars from me. And, if you're looking for a scary werewolf creature, you're going to be sadly disappointed. But on a more positive note, the movie has a strong message concerning man and his environment which I completely agree with. So people, you've been warned.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 46
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