“It takes more effort than repeating the same thing over and over again.” says Brad Pitt’s character, referred to only as “Pam’s Man,” an unnamed independent contractor hired by anyone who can pay big money to clean up the mess that would otherwise require law enforcement and legal action.

In this particular scene, he argues with “Margaret’s husband,” played by the always dashing George Clooney. They practice the same shady, unorthodox profession, operate in a secret underworld and are hired on the recommendation of one corrupt prosecutor to the next. While they’re used to working as lone wolves, this assignment they take on over the course of one night in NYC pushes them into each other’s company and forces them to work on the sidelines when collaboration is so obviously not an option .

But this conversation, two-thirds of the way through the film, strikes a certain chord with viewers trying to ground the film in reality or somehow understand “Wolves.” Although we may initially be distracted by the fuzzy appeal of a Clooney-Pitt In conversation, it becomes painfully clear that this reunion, rather than a welcome reunion based on a script full of humor, excitement and sexy people like the “Ocean’s Eleven” trilogy – the project , which most would associate with this Hollywood pairing – also a reunion is heavy on their lore as a film duo and not enough in the story.

In fact, the entire first act is a enactment of misfortune, framed by the shock and awe of a dead body, fueled by malicious glances and back-and-forth comments as if they were playing pantomime tennis. To quote Pam’s Man: That’s not who we are honored with the couplet so much so that we are forced to endure the same interaction “over and over again.”

It’s unclear whether writer-director Jon Watts, who found success directing the Tom Holland-directed “Spider-Man” reboot, had Clooney and Pitt specifically in mind when writing this film, making it the most sophisticated and thrilling crime thriller invented that ever existed. It occurred to me that the famous men wear dark suits, carry weapons and avoid clashes with the Albanian mafia. What Watts creates is certainly mood and tone, and that counts for a reason. The setting – the penthouse of the fanciest hotel in New York – and the film’s genre – a modern noir – might be enough for some viewers. And even when I was on the absurd journey of Pam’s Man and Margaret’s Man, it wasn’t like that not pleasant.

Two double negatives in one review should speak volumes. It would be a lie to say that Clooney and Pitt don’t still have that certain something of classic Hollywood stars. Ten years ago, any combination of Clooney, Pitt, Roberts, Damon, etc. would have doubled the film’s budget at the box office. But the fact that “Wolfs” had a limited theatrical release (just several showings at the Boeing IMAX in Seattle) before being scrapped from Apple TV+ along with the other Outsider films should also speak volumes.

Regardless, expect a summary and here it is: The aforementioned hired cleaners arrive at the same apartment. Margaret (Amy Ryan) is running for district attorney, and her sound family values ​​are sure to be called into question when the public learns of the supposedly dead body in the bedroom. This body belongs to Kid (Austin Abrams) and he’s not quite dead yet, although his pulse is so low that both men prepare to dispose of him as is. When they finally get the body out undetected, they take him to a mutual friend, June (Poorna Jagannathan), where Kid comes back to life and forces the sexagenarians on a chase through the city in the early hours of the morning.

When “Wolfs” keeps the action moving, it’s easy to give in to the thriller-comedy. There’s some laughter and gasps to be had, but viewers’ frustration will mostly lie in the many questions that were vaguely answered. Without completely giving away the ending of the film, why was this the least complicated (read: most complicated) way to put these two men in the same place? Who are the Croatian-Albanian drug lords the men are trying to avoid? I’m still not entirely sure about either, although the existence of these villains creates the unconventional transition to a wedding reception where Pitt and Clooney are trapped into joining an Albanian wedding dance line. It’s not as funny on screen as it probably was on paper, just as the final shootout, which takes place partially before the two men enter the dingy warehouse, seems to tick a box but leaves no impression. The same goes for “Wolfs” as a whole, a disappointing lack of support for two actors whose untapped potential was backed up by decades of good work.

“Wolfs” is now streaming on Apple TV+.