The Company of Wolves

A tale, maybe not as old as time, but certainly from a while back, both this movie and the original story upon which it is based. At first glance this stylish production of the Red Riding Hood fable bears some similarities to the near contemporary film Labyrinth, but this work hews more closely to its well-known antecedents rather than presenting a story that is more of its own thing. That translates here to many of the old tale’s familiar, standard tropes coming through intact, and, as with many fairy tales, the piece is chock full of subtexts. Interpreting those is best left as an exercise for the viewer, but it suffices to say the filmmakers—including writer/director Neil Jordan, who later found big success with The Crying Game—put enough spin on the narrative to take it in some interesting, perhaps even provocative directions. This version of the story places substantially more emphasis on the fable’s werewolf angle, which is mostly only hinted at in the traditional versions, and it also suggests that maybe, just maybe, the wolf isn’t the bad guy after all. The look of the movie is great throughout, while the performances are mostly fine, including the young actress (Sarah Patterson) who features as Rosaleen, who starts off a bit off-putting but grows into the role by the end. (It helps that she’s quite pretty.) The flaws are few and minor: the film runs a bit too long, even at a relatively abbreviated hour and thirty five minutes, and one large casting misstep (the annoying boy) removes some of the story’s potential for interesting possibilities. Overall, though, this dog hunts. No need to stray from the path if you happen upon this piece.