WolfCop (2014)Reviewed for TheBluFile.com by Dustin Putman
(Release Date: March 10, 2015) – "WolfCop" came to be after writer-director Lowell Dean won the $1-million grand prize in a Canada-wide, CineCoup-sponsored promotional contest for burgeoning filmmakers, and it is this inspiring behind-the-scenes story that is ultimately more interesting than the film itself. The story of hard-drinking small-town sheriff Lou Garou (Leo Fafard) and his transformation into a badge-carrying werewolf is goofy enough to work as pure camp. The results, though, do not fully take advantage of its premise, missing opportunities left and right to actually explore what it would be like if a man didn't let his new lycanthropic tendencies get in the way of his duties as a cop. In the annals of modern-day wannabe grindhouse flicks, "WolfCop" is tamer and less inspired than 2007's "
Grindhouse" and 2011's "
Hobo with a Shotgun," aiming for laughs but mostly earning raised eyebrows and knowing smirks instead. Dean tosses shape-shifters, robe-wearing Satan worshippers and piggy-masked robbers into the mix, but the only elements that truly stick are Jesse Moss' (2006's "
Final Destination 3") charismatic turn as a seductive, teardrop-tattooed gang leader and an insanely silly, jail-set sex scene between werewolf Lou and femme fatale barkeep Jessica (Sarah Lind). The rest, sadly, is exceedingly forgettable.
B+/A-
"WolfCop" was lensed digitally in Regina and Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, and these Canadian locations look very good, if not outstanding, in the film's 1080p transfer. Some shots are softer than others, while colors on occasion appear drab. If the image depth varies between nicely dimensional and flat, the image nonetheless showcases pleasing detail and an undeniably high-definition appearance. There are few complaints with the title's 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track, which offers an active soundfield during the action scenes and a spot-on mix that impeccably juggles dialogue, music and, by the third act, copious gunfire.
- Audio Commentary with writer/director Lowell Dean and special effects artist Emersen Ziffle
- "WolfCop Unleashed" Behind-the-Scenes Featurette (45:51, HD)
- The Birth of WolfCop
- CineCoup - Year in Review (1:16, HD)
- CineCoup - Cineplex Promo (0:54, HD)
- Mission Video 1 (1:56, HD)
- Mission Video 2 (2:07, HD)
- Mission Video 3 (1:22, HD)
- Mission Video 4 (1:35, HD)
- Mission Video 5 (2:02, HD)
- Mission Video 6 (3:04, HD)
- CineCoup - BANFF Be Brave - Final Reveal (1:52, HD)
- Film Outtakes (3:11, HD)
- WolfCop Music Video (2:50, HD)
- Theatrical Trailer (1:39, HD)
- Original Concept Trailer (2:20, HD)
- Skydive Promo (0:37, HD)
- Trailer Park Boys Shout Out (1:26, HD)
- Special Thanks Credits (1:01, HD)
RLJ and Image Entertainment's Blu-ray release of "WolfCop" is solid as an overall package—the special features, for example, are extensive—but the film was not nearly as unabashedly entertaining as it was clearly striving to be. As a horror movie, it's never scary. As a comedy, it's over-the-top but too many of its gags and one-liners fall flat. A so-so hodgepodge rather than a complete and focused work of intentional absurdity, "WolfCop" is a wannabe cult item sure to divide audiences. For fans, a purchase of this Blu-ray will be in order. All other who are interested should opt for a rental instead.
