Wolfen poster & wallpaper

Albert Finney, Diane Venora, Edward James Olmos

Detective Dewey Wilson is investigating several strange murders in New York City. All the vicitms look as if they have been mutilated by wild animals. His investigation leads him to a group of Native ...( read more  read more... )Americans who tell him about the legend of a superior species that once roamed the area, but who are now living and hunting in the slums of New York.

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47% liked it

4,233 ratings

Critics

73% liked it

22 critics

R, 1 hr. 55 min.

Directed by: Michael Wadleigh

Release Date: July 24, 1981

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DVD Release Date: August 13, 2002

Stats: 154 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (154)

  • groaningbitch
    May 25, 2009
    groaningbitch
    "wolfen" is a political protest or an ecological dirge upon nature-wrecking urbanization which tends to provoke you into thinking so much that you demean its artistic creavities. besides the audience who chooses to watch "wolfen" has an expectation of horror relish from the werew...( read more)olf legend hollywood has fromed along since 1930s along with lon chaney jr. in a nutshell, the common audience is more prepared to indulge himself within the gothic escapism of a bizarre supernatural tale instead of an anxious idealistic urge to care for the earth with sacred respect. that's exactly the merit of this movie, to evolve a mundane cheesy horror material into a meaningful interpretation, but that aspect also repulses certain audience attached to classic horror.

    the title wolfen says it outloud on what it's about, wolfen, of course. generally it's a metaphor of the retribution civilization, especially american industrialization, would receive after devastating the nature for sorbid profits, and one evident fact would be early american genocide against indians that is compared to a wolf specy which has been distincted on earth, the number of the indians american conquerers had slaughtered could literily emulate hitler to jews. (if you look into the historical diagram) mostly, it utilizes a special digital heat-wave camera perspect to represent the vision of the wolfen detecting the reddish suboteuring elements each individual possess, and the wolfen is supposed to be the villian who ruins others gruesomely, but contrarily the wolfen is the victim of the rest since its homeland has been confiscated by the capitalists and the wolfen's final resident of a wasted building has to be torn down for new urban construction so the wolfen tribe is forced to run amok to eliminate their potential intruders mercilessly. such spirit might have a similarity with "the creature from the black lagoon" trilogy in which creature is only defending the lagoon he occupies, and he's been kidnapped into aquarium as exhibition, then he has to be made to use his lung by the evolution he doesn't desire at the end. but the major differance would be creature is the losing side who's defeated by human weapons but the wolfen is the winning side who's able to practice its revenge to a degree. (maybe that's what upsets some of the audience?)

    "wolfen" is a great metaphor which could be considered excellent in the level of literature fable but would the audience enjoy "wolfen" since their primary purpose is some relaxation of other-worldly romanticism or some cheap fright of gore? would people who pick it up on the shelf give a damn to the environment and how long the earth is gonna sustain? from my experiences with people, at most of the time, regular, particularly rightist americans would dismiss anyone who favors organic food or concerned with ecology as hippies, and "trader joe's"(organic market) only opens in california and san fransisco has the biggest branch of this enterprise. so california is hippie-orientated state according to the opinion of some people. they're probably right, most people, particularly americans, take pleasure in making pollutions daily and eating un-healthy greasy food which's gonna give you cancer. (or smoking two packs of mablo a day, annoucing "i don't believe in your orangic shits")..a friend of mine once confided me that the existence of humans itself is a poison to earth, and if you wanna be friendly with the earth, people should get together to commit large-scale of suicides. it's sickeningly cynical but he has his point made. and my point is if you're the "i absolutely detest organic food" type, stay away from "wolfen", if you're leftist or neutral with a open-mind as me, you might be able to appreciate it. (even personally i don't like organic food as well but i can't say it ain't good for health, should i feel bad that organic food become a symbol of political stance?)
  • YosemiteSamFan
    August 17, 2007
    YosemiteSamFan
    Weird werewolf movie in an urban setting. It didn't work for me. The end scenes with the wolf in the skyscraper was the only part I liked. I just didn't understand what this movie was really about.
  • iansubordinate
    October 27, 2009
    iansubordinate
    Boring as hell. Not a horror movie.
  • psyclock7
    September 17, 2009
    psyclock7
    This was the freakiest werwolf movie that I ever did see..."
  • samanthaseaotter
    August 3, 2009
    samanthaseaotter
    Mediocre horror movie based on a fascinating book. How did they ever get Albert Finney and Gregory Hines? Still trying to figure that one out.
  • natedawg09
    June 7, 2009
    natedawg09
    A YOUNG FINNEY DOES A GREAT JOB IN THIS FILM. WATCHED IT ON VHS TOTALLY RETRO.
  • jackhammerebm
    March 13, 2009
    jackhammerebm
    Pretty good movie w/a pretty good parable.
  • HorrorMovieCinema
    December 7, 2008
    HorrorMovieCinema
    Edddie Holt: The smartest ones, they went underground into a new wilderness, YOUR CITIES. You have your technology but you lost. You lost your senses
    Old Indian: In their world, there can be no lies, no crimes.
    Edddie Holt: No need for detectives.
    Old Indian: In their eyes,...( read more) YOU ARE THE SAVAGE.



    Dewey Wilson: They kill...
    Old Indian: The sick. The abandoned. Those who will not be missed.
    Dewey Wilson: More than that.
    Old Indian: They kill to survive. They kill to protect.
    Dewey Wilson: Family?
    Old Indian: Man kills for less. But in the end, it is all for the hunting ground.



    Eddie and Dewey are up on the top of a bridgeworks]
    Eddie Holt: Shape shifting. We do it for kicks. Turn yourself into a different animal. One night a deer, next night a salmon...
    Dewey Wilson: Or a wolf?
    Eddie Holt: Sure.
    [Eddie unhooks Dewey's safety line]
    Eddie Holt: Or an eagle.
    [Dewey looks down, a long way... ]
    Eddie Holt: C'mon Dewey, just flap your arms and jump, its easy. It's all in the head.
    Dewey Wilson: That would be murder. You wouldn't kill anyone else, would you?
    Eddie Holt: That's what they pay you to find out...
  • Ghw12158
    September 26, 2008
    Ghw12158
    sinks its teeth in you
  • greggace
    August 28, 2008
    greggace
    weird, dated movie, but cool enough to watch again.. not as gory as other wolf_types...but some popcorn a rainy sunday...and

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Critic Reviews

July 3, 2005
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness

Some sort of mixed-up commentary on gentrification. full review

View more Wolfen reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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Wolfen Trivia

  • While having roles in such movies as 'Wristcutters: A Love Story' and 'Wolfen'; this singer has also had songs on the soundtracks for movies such as 'Fight Club', 'Robots', 'Shrek 2' and 'Domino'.  Answer »
  • A pack of evil wolf-beasts were hiding out in the urban sprawl and preying on the homeless in thriller "Wolfen" (1981). Who played Dewey Wilson, the New York City cop determined to battle the beasts?   Answer »
  • A pack of evil wolf-beasts were hiding out in the urban sprawl and preying on the homeless in thriller "Wolfen" (1981). Who played Dewey Wilson, the New York City cop determined to battle the beasts?  Answer »
  • 'A New York cop investigates a series of brutal deaths that resemble animal attacks.' Plot from....  Answer »
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