Out Come the Wolves, 2024.
Directed by Adam MacDonald.
Starring Damon Runyan, Joris Jarsky, and Missy Peregrym.
SYNOPSIS:
At a cabin deep in the wilderness, a weekend of hunting turns to mayhem and a fight for survival.
Shortly after reuniting at a cabin in the woods for a weekend vacation and hunting in Adam MacDonald’s Out Come the Wolves, childhood friends Kyle (Joris Jarsky) and Sophie (Missy Peregrym) play a card game while getting reacquainted. Kyle is sure Sophie is bluffing about not having a convincing winning hand. A playful back-and-forth emerges, the kind best friends typically have, but Kyle is wrong. It’s a clever way of expressing that he also doesn’t know who she is anymore. For starters, she is vegan now and not particularly interested in hunting, but has arranged the get-together so he could teach her fiance Nolan (Damon Runyan) how to hunt for food as part of a journalistic piece in the making.
Initially, Kyle was going to bring his new partner along for the vacation, meaning that they would have had the chance to get to know who they are currently romantically intertwined with, but it is quickly revealed that those plans fell through. This also leaves Nolan suspecting that Kyle has ulterior motives for his chatty delight in being back around Sophie. Unsurprisingly, the silver-spooned Nolan has his insecurities. However, the subdued performances clarify that Kyle still pines for Sophie and imagines a past where things have gone beyond friendship.
It also probably won’t surprise anyone that the screenplay (courtesy of Enuka Okuma, with Adam MacDonald and Joris Jarsky receiving story credits) makes some not-so-subtle points that out here in the wild, the rules of civilization go out the window. The true nature of man comes out, leaving viewers questioning who the real wolves are. Speaking of wolves, their presence is a complete surprise to Kyle, who initially intended to train Nolan in tracking and shooting harmless deer.
However, the first half of this swift and absorbing 87-minute thriller wisely centers the characterization, with room for uncertainty about Kyle’s true motives and whether or not Nolan is even a healthy partner for Sophie. Each of the three relatively unknown actors brings a strong sense of inner conflict to the roles, with real complicated humanity under the surface that accentuates the tension and suspense when this shifts from relationship quarreling into full-blown survival horror more fitting of the Shudder label.
Daringly, the filmmakers have also opted to use real animals here (with several notices in the ending credits that it was safe for the actors and creatures involved), elevating that white-knuckle adrenaline. Due to circumstances that won’t be revealed, the drama between Kyle and Nolan also forces Sophie to shift gears into once again becoming the woman she was before, allowing her to showcase how resourceful and independent she is amid this peril. By no means does that mean there is no urgency or danger here; this is an unflinchingly violent feature with such vicious and grisly wounds and broken bones that it unquestionably crosses the line into body horror.
Admittedly, despite how tense the will to survive is depicted here, it is also a step down from the strong character dynamics in the first half, disappointingly never circling back to that aspect. Instead, Out Come the Wolves transitions into a survivalist thrill ride, implying that Sophie can only count on herself and, depending on how much production one wants to do, that the wolves represent something else. Going beyond that, women must be wary of the petty games men play in the name of asserting predator dominance and that survival is as much emotional as it is physical.
Out Come the Wolves is essentially two halves that moviegoers will find more satisfying for different reasons. Fortunately, Adam MacDonald has enough killer instinct to make both sides work.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
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