In the early 1990s, Hollywood slowly started re-embracing the horror genre as a viable vehicle for top talent. One of the best werewolf films ever made, "Wolf" enjoyed an all-around excellent cast, including Christopher Plummer as a snot-nosed company head.

The best part of the film is the first half, when book editor Nicholson finds himself pitted against a younger rival played by James Spader. Spader has managed to weasel his way into Nicholson's position at the firm and is even having an affair with the poor bastard's wife.

One day, however, Nicholson is bitten by a wolf. Every day, he becomes more and more aggressive. He eventually manages to destroy Spader's career and save his own job, but not before biting Spader and creating a second werewolf to contend with. The two men become more and more wolf-like and uncontrollable as the story progresses.

In the middle is Pfeiffer, daughter of the publishing house's president (Plummer). Naturally, she falls for Nicholson.

Well-made and insightful, the film "degenerates," as some critics put it, into your standard monster movie at the end. It's true that the most interesting part of "Wolf" is its subtle first half. But the film nonetheless succeeds as a kind of strange "werewolf drama," a thinking man's monster movie, despite a standard monster battle at the end.

Not as good as "An American Werewolf in London," but highly recommended all the same.

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