Michelle Monday

One of my favorite scenes in Wolf (1994) is when Michelle Pfeiffer’s Laura Alden enters her would-be lover Will Randall’s (Jack Nicholson) hotel room for a sexy rendezvous, only to find Will handcuffed to the radiator. It’s a preemptive move by Will to keep himself locked away in the room on the night of a full moon, when his inner wolf is sure to emerge. This exchange, after Laura first walks into the room, is priceless:

Will: I want you to go.

Laura: No. Tell me why you’ve done this.

Will: It’s getting late and I think I’m dangerous, especially at night.

Laura: And you’re afraid that once it gets dark, you’ll attack me?

Will: Yeah. I think I’m turning into something else.

Laura: Into the thing that bit you? Into the wolf?

Will: Yes.

Laura : Tell me where the key is.

Will: I don’t have a key. I don’t even know where I got the handcuffs.

Laura: You don’t have a key? Well, what was your plan? To sit chained to the radiator till you grew paws?

Michelle’s reaction shots during this scene really sell it. Every time I write about Wolf I feel compelled to mention that Michelle’s beauty is on stunningly glorious display in this movie. She always looks gorgeous, but in Wolf she’s especially mesmerizing. A jaw-dropping vision. Have mercy.