Following a series of brutal killings, a New York detective investigating the incidents comes to believe that the incidents are caused by a pack of predatory werewolves out hunting for a specific target in their home-state and forces him to try to stop their rampage through the city.This one here turned out to be quite the enjoyable and underrated werewolf effort. One of the more impressive elements to this one is the fact that there's quite a lot to like here with the investigation into the initial attacks, which makes this one quite a bit of fun. Rather than being the usual stereotypical dull police procedural that it really could've been, this one here is a lot more lively when it comes to the officers investigating the incidents as the clues are quite broad yet don't really fit together and the ability to make them all fit together gives this one some rather enjoyable areas working throughout the first half. These are quite logically played-out and make this one turn into a really intriguing werewolf-attack study as they piece the clues together, from the autopsy reports to the boardroom investigating the first attack or the different scenes of them out on foot attest. Once it manages to get past that aspect of this one, it manages to get incredibly enjoyable with the attack scenes which are really good here, from the opening stalking of oblivious security guards to the partying couple in the park, the chilling ambush of the junkie in the abandoned building or the later stalking of the couple in their apartment where they remain oblivious to their observer outside skulking between the buildings. That picks up considerably in the final half, though, with the big attacks finally coming through with the great ambush in the church ruins as well as the finale in the streets outside the bank where it really lets their furious side get shown and manages to really give this a nice finish. The last plus here is the rather inventive use of their signature heat-vision tracking that looks really cool and unique throughout here being different enough to stand out and yet being quite logical. While these here make this one quite fun, overall it's still somewhat flawed. The biggest issue to contend with is the fact that this one doesn't have very much werewolf action at all until the final half, leaving them not just off-screen but barely even shown at all. With the focus on the investigation taking place for the majority of the film, we get very little screen-time for the creatures who are barely glimpsed even when they do appear since the body-count is depressing and disappointingly low for such a werewolf movie since it's finally nearly ninety-minutes into this one before they even appear which leaves this one feeling like quite a drag. No matter how good the attacks actually are, there's so few of them due to the investigation of the attacks rather than committing more so that causes the pacing of this one to drag down to a real sprawl which hampers this one considerably and is the weakest factor against this one. Likewise, the fact that the creatures are just simply portrayed as real wolves is a bit of a disappointment which makes their scenes look nothing more than just being surrounded by dogs and means we lose out on the transformation as well so it does feel incredibly weaker in those regards. That is enough to drag this one down with that other factor here.Rated R: Graphic Violence, Language, Full Male Nudity, drug use and violence-against-animals.

Unusual film that takes a very different path from the traditional werewolf movie. Low budget in feel, which is good, this starts incredibly well with horror, gore and bewilderment. The use of the negative image when we see through the eyes of the wolves is great, its less plastic than ordinary SFX and far more realistic than CGI, its also cheap (I've used it myself!) but the best thing about it is that it is literally an inversion of reality, which is just what you want here. Finney is fine but maybe should have been encouraged to put a little more effort in. As for his co-star, Diane Venora, in her first film, her lack of presence is worrying. I guess first time director (apart from Woodstock work) Michael Wadleigh was not used to getting the best out of his actors and indeed never made another film. Not to take away from this little gem though, not perfect by any means but different enough and occasionally startling enough to make at least one viewing essential.

An almost forgotten gem. I really liked the eery atmosphere in this one; great actors, great music - and really outstanding cinematography. I've never seen New York portrayed as grim and terrifying - and yet as beautiful - as in this film. I wouldn't call this a werewolf movie and it's certainly not your usual horror film either; although it does have many characteristics of a genre movie (even some pre-Predator style distorted camera effects), it is very much its own beast. There are no fancy transformations, no groundbreaking visual effects from the likes of Rick Baker, Rob Bottin or Stan Winston - but there are superb visuals of another kind. And there's tension, suspense and a fascinating story that gripped me right from the start. There are also some very graphic, gory moments, but they are few and far between. Director Michael Wadleigh has an interesting background: he was the dude who made history in 1969 by making Woodstock happen. He took Strieber's werewolf novel and brought something personal to it. Call it a mythical eco-horror thriller if you will, it's certainly something special. 7 out of 10 from me.Favorite films: http://www.IMDb.com/list/mkjOKvqlSBs/Lesser-known Masterpieces: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070242495/Favorite Low-Budget and B-Movies: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054808375/Favorite TV-Shows reviewed: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls075552387/

Albert Finney stars as a New York city cop who, while investigating a series of brutal murders that look like the work of a wolf pack, comes to discover that it may be supernatural in origin, something he has a hard time accepting...Albert Finney was a strange choice to play the detective, but then again, this is a strange film! Some effective direction(though director Michael Wadleigh had it taken away from him by the studio) and a thoughtful script about an urban landscape invaded by nature, but becomes too violent and silly(the climax especially) marring a potentially effective horror/police thriller. Sometimes interesting, but mostly muddled.