Brad Pitt and George Clooney are removing AppleTV+ movie

George Clooney And Brad Pitt He went out and did a workplace comedy; albeit with violent gunfire, car chases, and a college kid running through New York City in his underwear.

There’s a lot of star power in this slick, cool but slightly cliche movie “Wolves” (★★★ out of four; rated R; in theaters now and streaming Friday on Apple TV+) is an action comedy written and directed by Jon Watts. The man responsible for Tom Holland’s latest coming-of-age “Spider-Man” movies embraces a simpler, nostalgic tone in this street-style adventure that features two stars hired for the same job as professional “fixers” — and neither is too happy about it on the subject.

A night out for powerful district attorney Margaret (Amy Ryan) turns bloody when a sexual rendezvous leads to a lifeless body landing on her hotel room floor (not exactly good news in an election year). She calls the number given to her in case she needs to get out of a difficult situation, and a patient mechanic (Clooney) arrives to take control of the situation.

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Shortly thereafter, there’s another knock on the door: Hotel manager Pam (Frances McDormand), who saw the whole thing on the security camera, calls her own man (Pitt), leading to an awkward macho standoff and the two professionals’ need to partner up. .

The two movie stars recapture “Ocean’s” movie chemistry in a slightly more catty way. Although Pitt initially belittles his rival, he envies the way he expertly operates the porter’s car. Clooney has a gruff, grizzled demeanor that screams, “I’m too old for this.” While the film overcomplicates things as the plot is thrown around with various types of crime and various twists and turns, the leads always keep the film watchable by simply barking at each other with verbal sarcasm and sharp looks as the icy relationships of the unnamed characters melt and find mutual respect.

As Watts’ narrative moves quickly, he also reveals an important third wheel: A bag filled with kilos of heroin prolongs the mechanics’ night, as does the unexpected awakening of the corpse. This kid (Austin Abrams of “Euphoria” fame), who frustratingly doesn’t get a name, sends our heroes on a foot chase through the streets and across bridges. He also idolizes these two old men who consider themselves “lone wolves” but discover that they are better as a duo. “How long have you been partners?” The child asks them and points out that they actually dress and act the same. “You’re actually the same man.”

“Wolfs” doesn’t break any genre molds. Similar-themed movies like “Midnight Run” and “48 Hrs.” they’ve surrounded their heroes with better scripts, and the slowly unraveling mystery connecting Pitt and Clooney’s characters doesn’t exactly hinder the landing. Yet there is a lightness and watchability; If this thing was on TNT it would play on loop constantly. (The good thing about streaming is that you can recreate this yourself: Maybe “Wolves” could be your laundry-folding staple?)

Pitt and Clooney are always entertaining as cynical co-workers who don’t get along and just need to hang out; the lesser performers make the film’s flaws much more apparent. Abrams, meanwhile, excels as the new guy who gives them a life-affirming jolt of spirit. And thanks to the “Wolfs” package, it’s a pretty well-done piece of cinema.