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| Title: | Wolfcop |
| Director: | Lowell Dean |
| Starring: | Leo Fafard, Aidan Devine, Jonathan Cherry, Sarah Lind, Amy Matysio |
| Genre: | Horror/Action/Comedy |
| Runtime: | 1 Hour 15 mins |
| Music: | Shooting Guns |
| Studio: | Studio Canal |
| Certificate: | UK: 15 |
| Release Date: | UK: October 13 2014 (DVD Premiere) |
| See If You Like: | Leprechaun, Rubber, The Incredible Hulk, Army of Darkness |
If you ever watched Teen-Wolf and thought, what if this teen-wolf wasn’t a teen; what if he was a middle-aged, alcoholic, useless sheriff in a corrupt department of a small town? What if he was a big fuckin’ wolf-cop?; then Wolfcop is the film for you; a violent, cheesy, B-movie-like, action/horror/comedy which is 75 minutes of pure unadulterated fun.
Coming from writer/director Lowell Dean (13 Eerie), Wolfcop stars Leo Fafard as Lou Garou; a drunk policeman who happens to get turned into a werewolf one night, and realising his transformation could be part of a larger plan (involving a solar eclipse, shape-shifters, and a lot of booze) decides to start investigating and, for once, being the best cop he could ever be.
Joined along the way by a surly police chief (Aidan Devine, A History of Violence), an equally surly cop (Amy Matysio, Stranded), a barmaid who’s got the hots for Lou (Sarah Lind, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford), and his near tin-foil-hat-wearing best friend Willie (Jonathan Cherry, Goon), Lou transforms several times, takes on local gangs, breaks up illegal raves, and foils armed robberies (as the Wolfcop), uncovers a centuries old conspiracy, and even does his bit for inter-species relations, all in an hour and 15 minutes.
Wolfcop flies by at a breakneck pace and is all the better for it; you’ll be so busy laughing, swilling beer, and joining in with gung-ho salutes of “Arrooo” you won’t have chance to get bored; but that’s not to say the writing is especially tight, trimmed down, or high-brow; Wolfcop is cheap, and it’s cheesy, yet it’s charismatic as hell.
Thankfully Wolfcop knows what it is, and it rides the line between horror and comedy with ease, bringing the laughs and the winces in spades; as we watch Lou transform in hideously gruesome fashion, see the most inappropriate yet hilariously funny sex scene since Team America, and watch a man in a werewolf costume reminiscent of Lour Ferrigno’s Hulk outfit, foil robberies, tear-off peoples faces, urinate on vandals, and deliver a plethora of perfect puns (including riffing on the film’s awesome tagline; “here comes the fuzz”).
Definitely not a film to be taken seriously, and one which thankfully doesn’t take itself too seriously either, Wolfcop is infinitely enjoyable; it’s ludicrously funny, ridiculously brilliant, and destined to become a true cult classic. It’s hard to believe it’s only Lowell’s second film (suggesting he’s got a huge amount of potential), as with brilliantly emulating the ‘70s B-movies it mimics so well, perfectly utilising retro-special effects (rather than modern-day CG trickery), and exhibiting a head-banging rock-heavy soundtrack it’s clear Wolfcop is awesome; bloody, brilliant, and cheesy throwback guff, Wolfcop is just 75 minutes of fun; and comes highly recommended.
Matt Wheeldon – @TheMattWheeldon.
