‘Fight for Rome. Fight for Caesar. Fight to survive.’
Wolf is a 2019 British action horror film about a group of Roman soldiers from Hadrian’s Wall being picked off by Pict warriors or something else…
Directed by Stuart Brennan (The Necromancer; Plan Z) from a screenplay co-written by George McCluskey (both of whom star), the Stronghold production also stars Mark Paul Wake and Victoria Morrison.
Plot:
Great Britain. 150 A.D. When four messengers sent by Rome to a plague-infected Caledonia, with a message of peace and help for their King, go missing Rome has no choice but to send ten of their finest across Hadrian’s Wall to find and bring them back.
Led by their Captain, Domitius (George McCluskey), and two of their strongest warriors, Grackus (Stuart Brennan) and Nerva (Mark Paul Wake), the legion soon realise that what lays in wait for them is something much worse than any plague or army known to man.
And with them being picked off one by one on their journey back to the wall by a beast none of them can match, and survival is their only hope, will there be anyone left to warn Rome of the dangers it may now face…
Reviews:
” …the story is there but it’s not used to its full potential, the flashback stories are good to bring in the characters’ backstories, but then again it slows down what we are wanting in a “horror” the shocks and creatures that make us jump in our cinema seats. Some of the landscape shots look very good, but maybe down to the overuse of drone shots, they do wear a little thin after a time.” Blazing Minds
“Much of the film is frustratingly slow and talkie, but the characters are interesting and most of the acting is good. When we eventually see the attackers they’re naked guys with fangs (which contradicts the bipedal wolf pawprints found earlier). Nevertheless, this ambitious, high concept horror – legionaries vs lycanthropes – merits a watch…” British Horror Revival
“Considering the premise, as well as hints of battles in the trailer and such, I would have expected a lot more onscreen violence. Instead, most of it happens just off-camera. What little action we do see on screen isn’t terrible, but for a film of this type, you needed more. The basic story itself isn’t that bad in fairness, but the script is awful.” The Grump of Horror
“Wolf was a valiant attempt at creating a period piece and succeeds in the respect that it never becomes boring. I did feel the plot was a little rough around the edges, and some of the filmmaking also felt a bit rough. Examples such as a fight scene that appeared to have been sped up and some sound effects used that felt generic, while the acting across the board was never anything stunning.” The Rotting Zombie
“Unfortunately, Wolf was filmed on a rather lean budget so more than once there is dialogue where there needed to be action. The action scenes we get are well shot, but too much happens off-screen […] Wolf is an ambitious and interesting film that didn’t have the budget to get its vision across. It’s still worth a watch, but keep your expectations in check to avoid disappointment.” Voices from the Balcony
Cast and characters:
Stuart Brennan … Grackus
Mark Paul Wake … Nerva
George McCluskey … Domitius
Victoria Morrison … Ima
Adanna Oji … Liviana
Austin Caley … Lucius
Jennifer Jones … Salvius (as Jennifer Chippindale)
Ross Anderson … Vinicius
Nick Sheard … Augustus
Sarah Zebrzuski … Farmers Wife
Sarina Taylor … Ethnie
Cole Leman … Blind Man
Connor McKinley … Simon
Phil Littlefair … Bowdyn
Mark Kitto … Lutrin
Filming locations:
Highlands, Scotland
Portsmouth, England
Technical details:
85 minutes
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
