George Clooney and Brad Pitt rekindle that Ocean's Eleven magic in new crime comedy Wolfs

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You like the Ocean’s Eleven movies, right? Sure you do; they’re stylish, funny, and effortlessly cool in a way that other movies could only dream of being — as can be seen by the evidence of, say, Ocean’s Eight, which really tried but was a little too hard to match the three movies in the earlier trilogy. If only there was a way to recapture the feeling of those Ocean’s Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen movies… like, for example, re-teaming series leads George Clooney and Brad Pitt in a new crime caper.

Friends, get ready for Wolfs.

Yes, we know it should be Wolves; the title is a pun about the fact that Clooney and Pitt are each playing a “lone wolf” fixer hired to clean up messes — especially ones that might be on the wrong side of the law, say — who, due to a mix-up, are forced to work together on a project that (of course) proves to be far messier than either suspected in the first place. But, really, who cares about the plot? This project — written and directed by Jon Watts, clearly enjoying the freedom away from Sony/Marvel’s Spider-Man movies, but also appreciating the commercial clout that he got from them — is going to live or die based on just how successful the movie is in reminding people about the Ocean’s trilogy. Based on the trailer, the answer seems to be… pretty successfully…?

It’s not just the sight of Clooney and Pitt slipping back into the bickering professionals gig with seeming ease; that much should have been expected just from their casting alone. What’s worth paying attention to in this trailer at least is the music choices — Frank Sinatra! Something quasi-jazzy that feels not unlike David Holmes’ iconic scores for, yes, the Ocean’s movies! — and the feel throughout the whole thing that the unusual aspects to most viewers (dead bodies and a surprising amount of drugs, not to mention all manner of gunplay) are everyday occurrences that are, at most, mildly frustrating to our protagonists. Because, really, more than actual danger or tension, that’s what we’re really looking for, here: frustration that’s comedic and thrilling enough, from very charismatic actors.

Oh, and Amy Ryan’s involvement isn’t a bad thing, either.

Wolfs is going to hit theaters — and maybe steal its way into hearts (get it?) — September 20.

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