When is a taut thriller with brains to match its brawn a disappointment?
When it’s from the director of “Backcountry,” one of the best outdoor thrillers in recent memory.
Director Adam MacDonald revisits key themes from his 2014 gem with “Out Come the Wolves.” This time, the threat in question is a much smaller beast. They travel in packs, though, and the title is all the spoiler alert required.
Sophie (Missy Peregrym, the director’s “Backcountry” star) is eager to introduce her fiancé Nolan (Damon Runyan) to deer hunting. She’s invited her childhood friend Kyle (Joris Jarsky) to give him a crash course in the sport.
Sounds like a perfect weekend.
Except Kyle’s girlfriend is a no-show. Plus, he views Sophie as slightly more than an old schoolyard chum. Nolan can’t help but notice.
That’s a direct connection to “Backcountry.” Peregrym’s boyfriend in that film wasn’t secure in his masculinity, and when a stranger joined them for an impromptu dinner his insecurities flared up.
That sequence proved as tense as the subsequent bear attacks.
It’s a fascinating theme MacDonald is eager to revisit, but there’s a thriller template in play, too. Before long key characters are out in the woods, eager to bag a deer or two. What they find are animals far more willing to fight back.
“Out Come the Wolves” patiently sets the interpersonal dynamics in motion. Sophie gave up hunting and embraced a vegan diet, but she still respects Kyle’s outdoor grit.
Nolan, a magazine scribe stuck to his laptop computer, chafes at the outdoorsy plans. When the couple fight it’s unclear if they’re the ideal match they think they are.
New poster for ‘Out Come The Wolves’ starring Missy Peregrym, Damon Runyan and Joris Jarsky
in theaters August 30th. pic.twitter.com/qblaesdJk4
— Movie Coverage (@MovieCoverage_) July 30, 2024
MacDonald is an expert at magnifying everything that can go wrong out in the woods, and he starts by pushing identifiable characters into the great outdoors. His protagonists could be any of us, no matter what our outdoor skill sets may be.
That philosophy works well here, but character inconsistencies begin to gnaw at us. Far better? The obligatory wolf attacks are brutally staged, the camera work and effects conveying real-world terror.
The film’s screenplay lacks the recognizable snap of “Backcountry.” Kyle’s behavior mid-film makes little sense beyond nudging the story along, and it’s a nagging flaw that hangs over the rest of the film.
Sophie knows her way around a bow and arrow, but the film isn’t interested in making her Rambo-ette. She’s vulnerable in ways that matter, and Peregrym knows how to layer the performance to show it.
Give her an action franchise, stat.
“Wolves” shrugs past its narrative hiccups in a dizzying middle act. We’re eager to see how matters play out, but the finale offers both bold frights and more frustrating asides.
“Out Come the Wolves” is smarter than most thrillers and doesn’t skimp on the fear factor. It can’t escape “Backcountry’s” shadow, but that’s a problem many modern thrillers face.
HiT or Miss: “Out Come the Wolves” is a sturdy addition to the Don’t Mess with Mother Nature subgenre, but plot holes keep it from top-of-class status.
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