When a rash of brutal murders break out in a desolate section of New York, detectives first think it is the work of a serial killer. It isn’t until Detective Dewey Wilson gets involved that things take a turn into the bizarre. As Wilson begins to unravel the facts of the case, he and a few of his friends are drawn into the world of the wolfen and it is going to a be survival of the fittest.

Wolfen tries hard to be something unique and different and it does succeed in some aspects, but falling between the Howling and An American Werewolf in London, it gets lost in the shuffle of the lupine flicks of 1981.

Albert Finney stars as Detective Wilson and does a great job as the standard cop on the edge and in quite a surprising scene bares his very unattractive ass in a scene. Not only do we get to see Finney's ass but we also get to see a naked Edward James Olmos creeping around on a dock under the moonlight. Also in the cast are Tom Noonan (Manhunter) and Gregory Hines as Whittington, a coroner friend of Wilson's.

The plot deals with a group of Native Americans who may or may not be more than they appear, but they definitely know what is going on. The film turns into a man vs nature lecture and gets a little to preachy at times, but it is a fair story.

The film does do a good job of showing the movie through the eyes of the "wolfen" and there is some decent gore, but a lot of it is off screen. Wolfen does try hard and has a lot going for it, but for a horror movie it is just a little slow at times and sometimes a little to preachy, but it is worth a look.

4 out of 10

Wolfen is more than just your typical werewolf movie (which is fortunate because, at the time of its release in 1981, it was one of 3 such films). This is the intelligent one. It is set up as a gritty crime-drama along the lines of "Dirty Harry" and is probably one of the most overlooked and important films of its time for a number of reasons.

First, it features name actors in a horror film - something that was unusual then. Second, its special effects shots included the use of state-of-the-art computer animation - also unheard of then (American Werewolf in London and The Howling used only latex effects by comparison). Third, although he's barely recognizable from how we know him, it marks the career of the insanely talented Edward James Olmos. Fourth, it was co-written by Mr. UFO himself, Whitley Striber (Communion). Fifth: two words: Tom. Freakin'. Waits!

Personally, I think it all works quite well: the gritty urban setting, the "sting" type operations set up to catch the killer, the creative visual effects, the underlying theme of ecological destruction, and the spiritualty of the film. American Werewolf and The Howling were two of the most influential horror films of the modern day; it is fitting then that "Wolfen" was released at the same time, because it proudly stands right up alongside them.

I give Wolfen 8 out of 10 cute, naked Diane Venoras getting chased down through the woods and tackled by a Lycantaco.

Ok, dammit...a man can dream, can't he?

There were elements of this movie that I enjoyed and some that left me disappointed. I'll start with those elements that I liked.

I applaud the use of REAL animals in this film. It brought a sense of authenticity that clayanimation and computer generated effects can not provide and that added to my enjoyment. I also felt like the acting was top notch stuff. Edward James Olmos and Albert Finney were great in their roles as Eddie Holt and Dewey Wilson.

However, there were some issues that troubled me. Although I liked Olmos' performance in this film and am proud to see fellow Hispanics getting ahead, do you mean to tell me that there wasn't one Native American in Hollywood during 1981 that could have been cast to play Eddie Holt?

Finally, the reveal of the creatures was semi-disappointing. After seeing the carnage that the creatures left it was a bit of a let down to see that they were so blah. Afterwards, the film helped itself by doing a good job to explain the supernatural side of the beasts.

Overall, I would recommend this film as a pleasant change to the werewolf class of films.

6 out of 10 Naked puddle licking Native Americans