2024’s Wolfs brings together Brad Pitt and George Clooney for a crime/comedy, drawing clear inspiration from many other movies like it. The Apple TV+ release sees Pitt and Clooney leading the Wolfs cast as two fixers, men who are brought on to clean up in the aftermath of violent crimes. This is a classic crime movie archetype that can be a ton of fun to mess around with, and Pitt and Clooney bring their humor and charisma to deliver a memorable take.
Aside from crime and fixer movies, films like Wolfs feature narratives that rapidly develop with consecutively worsening events. As it builds toward the Wolfs ending, Pitt and Clooney’s characters continuously unravel deeper layers of a conspiracy, which Clooney’s character is fascinated by. Other movies will feature Pitt and Clooney in similar roles or movies with buddy cop-like premises that match similar comedic tones.
10 Bullet Train
Features Brad Pitt As A Dopey Assassin
In the most complimentary way this can possibly be stated, Brad Pitt is unmatched when it comes to playing mildly daft movie characters. From his early days playing a stoner character in True Romance to his role in Bullet Train to his recent appearance in Wolfs, he’s a master at this genre of character. Bullet Train sees Brad Pitt as a dumb assassin working his way through outrageous fight scenes and insane side characters on a moving high-speed train.
For those who enjoyed Wolfs because of Brad Pitt’s ability to create alluring chemistry out of thin air or enjoyed the film because of its action and chase sequences, Bullet Train could be the best option. It has high-octane action developed in the style of John Wick movies, though the tone is a bit lighter and less intense, offering more dialogue and character work than those films typically do.
9 The Nice Guys
A Dry Crime Comedy With An Unlikely Friendship
Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe are two of the only actors who can come together and offer chemistry on the level that Pitt and Clooney do in Wolfs. The La La Land and Gladiator stars are known for their more dramatic roles, but The Nice Guys sees them come together for dry, witty comedy. Similarly to how Wolfs plays off tropes of the fixer genre, The Nice Guys offers some satire on noir detective stories set in Los Angeles when a young woman goes missing.
In terms of tone and pacing, The Nice Guys is probably the most similar to Wolfs. It’s very dry, leaving a ton of room for its actors to play around with banter. Gosling and Crowe may not have the repertoire of past films to certify them, but their natural first-time chemistry is lightning in a bottle, and fans of this cult classic have been begging for a sequel for years.
8 Midnight Run
A Reluctant Antagonists-To-Friends Partnership
Robert De Niro is one of the greatest dramatic actors of all time, but he’s also an exceptional comedic actor. While the dynamic duo of movie stars in Midnight Run isn’t quite on the level of star power as Wolfs, De Niro and Charles Grodin make for an exceptional pairing. It’s an outstanding “unlikely allies” movie about a hardened, comedic straight-man bounty hunter with trust issues and a snobby, out-of-his-depth mob accountant on a cross-country journey. Plot-wise, that’s hard to top.
Like in Wolfs, Midnight Run follows two characters who don’t know each other, forced into a dangerous situation where organized crime members pursue them. It’s incredibly funny, sharply written, and delivered through exceptional performances. For those who enjoyed Wolfs for its dialogue and character development, Midnight Run is an outstanding choice.
7 After Hours
One Night Out In New York That Keeps Getting Worse
So, Martin Scorsese is arguably the most renowned director of crime films ever, and his only movie to appear here is one of his few non-crime entries. After Hours is, however, the epitome of the “got lost in New York for a disastrous night from dusk until dawn” subgenre, with Wolfs following in its footsteps. It’s a film that exists solely in a pre-smartphone world, where a man goes out for an evening, loses his money, and suffers through every bad thing that could ever happen to someone.
While Wolfs is a bit more direct, Pitt and Clooney’s characters are working in New York City on a crime that grows progressively worse and more abstract with every step. By the end of Wolfs, it’s still unclear who Pitt and Clooney’s boss was, what District Attorney Margaret had planned, and more. This purposeful confusion is consistent with the spirit of After Hours, and the ’80s classic is one of Scorsese’s funniest.
6 Pulp Fiction
A Crime Classic That Hilariously Uses The Fixer Archetype
The initial concept of Pulp Fiction, and the idea that’s made it such a prolific film, is that it takes several crime movie archetypes and tropes and merges them together. It’s got the boxer who has to throw another match, the criminal going out with the boss’s daughter, and, of course, the fixer. In the third act, veteran actor Harvey Keitel arrives as Winston ‘The Wolf’ Wolfe, a catchy name with a catchy tagline: “I’m Mr. Wolf. I solve problems.“
Quentin Tarantino is on another level when it comes to taking classic film tropes and subverting them in fun new ways. While only a small portion of the movie relates to Wolfs, Keitel’s performance is undoubtedly one of the most memorable and well-written fixer characters in films.
5 Ocean’s Eleven
Brad Pitt & George Clooney’s Joint Charisma At Its Peak
Brad Pitt and George Clooney have shared the screen in five movies, three of which are the Ocean’s saga. While the heist trilogy is more centered around its ensemble, the duo have their fair share of priceless moments together. For instance, there’s a scene in the third movie where Brad Pitt’s character walks in on Clooney’s character watching The Oprah Winfrey Show. Clooney is embarrassed at first, but they end up sitting down, getting enthralled by it, distracting them on a heist.
For fans of these two movie stars on screen together, the
Ocean’s
films are hard to top.
The Ocean’s movies have their serious moments, but they work the best in their comedy. It’s entirely clear that the director and cast had a ton of fun making each installment, as the films are packed with bits and jokes that incorporate the stars’ real-life personalities. For fans of these two movie stars on screen together, the Ocean’s films are hard to top. Excitedly, during press for Wolfs, Clooney announced production on Ocean’s Fourteen.
4 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
A Western Movie With Influence All Over Wolfs
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid may not have much immediately in common, but the Wolfs’ ending pays homage to the Western classic, making it worth a mention. Without spoiling Butch and Sundance, the homage is pretty blatant. As for the 1969 Western’s plot, it similarly follows two companions, played by all-time great movie stars Paul Newman and Robert Redford, as gunslingers on the run from an oppressive force of lawmen.
Similarly to Wolfs, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid sees circumstances continue to worsen for its protagonists. The main difference is that this film sports two gunslingers who are already acquainted with one another, and it’s much less comedic. However, Newman and Redford are terrifically charismatic, and their chemistry is on par with Pitt and Clooney’s. It’s a must-watch classic movie that still holds up by many modern standards.
3 The Killer
David Fincher’s Take On An Incompetent But Overconfident Hitman
David Fincher is one of the greatest contemporary filmmakers, and he’s made some of the strongest crime movies of the past few decades. This includes multiple collaborations with Brad Pitt on movies like Se7en and Fight Club, but his movie that’s most like Wolfs features a different lead. The Killer, starring Michael Fassbender, follows a contract killer who believes himself to be exceptional at his work, only to screw up a job and find himself on the run.
The Killer is hilarious in a dry way, much like Wolfs. The film opens with a monologue voiceover scene where Fassbender’s character describes the level of discipline and mental tenacity to set up an assassination, all while preparing a sniper rifle to take out a target. The monologue is abruptly ended by Fassbender going, “Oh shit,” as he misses the shot and kills the wrong person. It’s not Fincher’s best, but it’s a fantastic next-watch for anyone who loves Wolfs.
2 Burn After Reading
Brad Pitt & George Clooney Prove Their Comedic Chops
Burn After Reading was Brad Pitt and George Clooney’s most recent collaboration before Wolfs, but here’s the catch: They barely appear together on screen in it. That’s not to say either character is without their movie star scene partner companions, as Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, and John Malkovich are just as engaging in their own ways. Plus, it doesn’t get any wittier than dialogue written by the Coen Brothers.
Pitt and Clooney aren’t in the movie together, but they’re both extraordinary in Burn After Reading. Brad Pitt plays a dumb guy in what’s easily his funniest screen performance, while Clooney is also hilarious as a slick-talking womanizer whose life is a house of cards. Just like in Wolfs, Clooney’s character is overwhelmed by the suspicion of a larger conspiracy at work, which crucially plays into the movie’s themes and his character’s arc.
1 Michael Clayton
George Clooney’s Dramatic Fixer Classic
While Michael Clayton is a far cry from Wolfs in tone, it’s still likely the most comparable movie. The 2007 crime film has been critically acclaimed and is certainly one of the best in the fixer genre, with Clooney playing the titular character. Unlike Wolfs, which revolves around a murder that’s already occurred, Michael Clayton follows a fixer who works for a high-end law firm, helping them win cases by committing crimes and dealing with matters behind-the-scenes.
Clooney gives one of the best performances of his career in this movie, and though he isn’t as charming or nearly as funny as in Wolfs, he’s even more enthralling. Michael Clayton is a true thriller that invites its viewer into the mind of the fixer as he embarks on a job and its moral consequences. It explores a man desperately in need of money to hold his life together, but whose morality is on the brink of collapse. It’s fascinating, sophisticated, and a must-watch for any fan of Clooney or Wolfs.
