On hearing about his brother’s mysterious disappearance, American stage actor Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro – Sin City) returns to his family estate in England to investigate. He is reunited with his estranged father Sir John (Anthony Hopkins - Hannibal) and is introduced for the first time to his brother's fiancée, Gwen Conliffe (Emily Blunt – The Young Victoria). However, he arrives home too late as Ben Talbot’s body is found in the woods, literally ripped apart. Lawrence decides to stay on after the funeral in a bid to track down the person or animal responsible for his slain brother. His investigations lead to a near-fatal encounter with a savage beast in the woods that puts him at deaths door. After a miraculous recovery Lawrence realises that there is something very different about him and come the next full moon, this change will manifest into something quite terrifying and deadly with a thirst for blood and a savage, uncontrollable rage.
Universal Studios is the ancestral home of classic horror. With the back-catalogue adventures of Dracula, The Invisible Man, Frankenstein, The Mummy and of course The Wolfman all under their license, it was about time they delivered a decent werewolf movie. Thankfully they have done more than that; they have created an instant classic which pays homage to the iconic creatures’ legacy whilst delivering an energetic, suspenseful and damn right scary adventure for modern audiences. From the look of the beast right down to the set design and the creepy eeriness of the musical score, The Wolfman is a triumph that exceeds all of my expectations.
Benicio Del Toro is superb as Lawrence, the tortured soul who is cursed by the light of the full moon. The talented character actor brings just the right amount of emotional baggage to the role and makes Lawrence a flawed and sympathetic character you have a connection with. His chemistry with the always fantastic Emily Blunt is also a joy to watch. She manages to ooze beauty, charm and grace in whatever role she tackles and as Gwen she is the epitome of elegance and stature - something the role desperately needed for it to work as well as it does. Both Del Toro and Blunt manage to evoke a sense of reserved passion without being blatant or direct. Theirs is a relationship both restrained and deeply emotional yet we don’t get to spend much time with both characters. This is a testament to their portrayals and insures the films’ success.
Sir Anthony Hopkins has phoned in most of his performances recently but here he manages to give the role of Sir John a decent but not overpowering sense of mystery and dread. He is given a run for his money by perennial scene-stealer Hugo Weaving though, who manages to steal the show as Scotland Yard’s Inspector Abberline. Having Weaving on this kind of form really helps the movie move along at a brisk but enjoyable pace.
Not once do the special effects look ropey or cheap either. The scenes involving the Wolfman running across the rooftops of London is seamless as is the fantastic body-changing sequences. The gore factor is present and accounted for too with decent shock value thrown in across the movie as well. Quite how this didn’t end up as an 18 certificate is anyone’s guess. There are beheadings, arms and legs ripped off and jugulars slashed out at every corner. Those of you who are squeamish will jump from your seat on more than one occasion so be prepared.
The final accolade needs to go to legendary effects guru Rick Baker who visualised the final look of The Wolfman. It’s nothing short of brilliant - Baker has created a genuinely frightening monster that gives more than a glancing nod toward Lon Chaney Jr’s iconic representation of the werewolf. The make-up is superb and will impress and scare you in equal measure. It looks like they do make them like they used to after all.
The Wolfman DVD has 16 minutes of additional footage not shown in cinemas alongside deleted and extended scenes. There is more bonus footage available on the Blu-ray release.
Not since An American Werewolf In London has a creature feature been so entertaining whilst managing to properly scare the hell out of its audience. Having spent decades settling for mundane rubbish like Van Helsing, An American Werewolf In Paris and the atrocious Wolf, it’s a wonderful thing to finally get a werewolf movie worth howling at the moon for. The Wolfman has defied the odds and come in as a well made, well scripted and most of all well acted piece of classic horror and is a film that you simply cannot afford to miss.
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