POBB October 16, 2021

Pick of the Brown Bag

October 16, 2021

by

Ray Tate

Welcome to the Pick of the Brown Bag, in this blog I usually review comic books and graphic novels.  Occasionally though, I look at the movies, and it's with great urgency that I implore you to see the wonder that is Wolfcop and its sequel Another Wolfcop.

Both available on spectacular blu-rays filled with informative extras, these Canadian productions should be treasured by every old-school fan of monster movies.  Both films use practical effects, and the actors portray the monsters.  What's more, the results look just as good if not better than the blu-ray cover art.

I know! When has that ever happened before?

The first story presents the origin of Wolfcop.  

Meet the bottom rung of Woodhaven's constabulary Lou Garou.  Yeah, baby, it's on.  He's an alcoholic low-achiever.  In subsequent scenes we discover why.  Turns out Lou survived the loss of his mother and father.  The latter in an infamous Woodhaven crime.

Upon investigating what he thinks will be kid mischief in the woods, Lou finds himself abducted by cultists and turned into a werewolf.  Nah.  That's not much of a spoiler.  Trust me.  

Lou isn't like other werewolves from cinema.  He doesn't lose himself to the beast.  He doesn't turn on his friends or colleagues, nor does he feel tortured and doomed.  He's a wolf, yes, but he's also a cop, and he's on patrol.

This utterly brilliant movie, which is also a helluva lot of fun, goes all the way back to original werewolf lore.  

The idea of being turned through a bite, is a Hollywood invention.  

It's the bid of the writer to sell a more rational explanation.  That lycanthropy is an infectious disease transmitted through the saliva of the werewolf.

In olden times, a man becomes a wolf through a pact with Satan.  He also henceforth wears the skin of a man, torn apart by the beast, a prosthetic wonderland exploited to Grand Guignol and grand comedic levels in Wolfcop and its sequel.

The filmmakers tweak the fable.  Though no bite necessary, Satan may or may not be behind the transformation.  The twist sets up a surprisingly sensible finale.  The explanation for the Wolfcop could have worked in a straight-up horror feature.

Before the curtains draw close we revel in Wolfcop as a creature and cop, his predilection for slashing and gashing scared shitless bad guys.  Lou's attempts to try to come to grips with his new alter-ego by consulting his out there friend Willie Higgins.  

Actors Leo Fafard, Amy Matysio, Jonathan Cherry, Sarah Lind, Corinne Conley and Aiden Devine all level out with superb performances that also engorge on the humor of the concept.  Because everybody plays their role with dramatic intent as opposed to stand-up, the movie works a million times better had it just been a joke-fest.  

As does the sequel Another Wolfcop.  The leads reprise their roles, but things have changed in Woodhaven.  Stalwart, professional, partner  and friend to Lou Garou Tina (Matysio) is now the Chief.  Deservedly so.

She hired some new recruits, and she's doing her best to tamp down the idea that there's a Wolfcop on the force.

Alas, a bloody opening set piece in which Wolfcop takes more than names demonstrates how difficult that want can be.  Fortunately the filmmakers argue that these miscreants portrayed by some famous cult film faces deserved it.  We can therefore enjoy this cool, comical gore fest.

Wolfcop cleans up the streets of Woodhaven.  Amy and Wolfcop's alter-ego Lou clean up after Wolfcop.  

A new face arrives at Woodhaven with the promise of a new industry and jobs for one and all.

For those who watch The Murdoch Mysteries, your eyes do not deceive you.  Yannick Bisson, Detective William Murdoch himself, manifests the new evil facing Wolfcop.  Bisson states in the extras on the disc how much he enjoyed being the bad guy for a change.  

The baddie and Wolfcop quickly butt heads; their fight however is refreshingly impersonal.  Wolfcop is just in his way.  His money and resources engineer some things that actually spell trouble for our hirsute hero, and this gives the filmmakers an opportunity to introduce another new character.

Willie's sister Kat Higgins is a healer, and it's she that finds an original, subversive and clever means to get around the need for moonlight to instigate Lou's change and his healing.  Revived, Wolfcop quickly heads toward a memorable showdown on ice, but brothers and sisters this isn't the Ice Capades.

Once again, the filmmakers go all out on the scripting and the actors keep the giggles to themselves.  The special effects, all practical, match the quality of those from the original.  A real surprise comes in the judicious use of an even older art form.  In the end the quality and dedication of the actors and filmmakers continue to be the series' greatest asset.  Let's hope there's Still Another Wolfcop in the wings.