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The Phantom Wolf is a 2025 American revisionist Western film directed by Taylor Sheridan, who wrote the screenplay and the story with Joe Carnahan and Jerry Bruckheimer, and produced by James Mangold and Quentin Tarantino. The first installment in the Wyoming's Wolf film series, distributed by Lionsgate, and set in 1855, the film stars Samuel L. Jackson, Anne Hathaway (in the title role), Michael Rooker, Lucas Black, Chris Pratt, Millie Bobby Brown, Laurence Fishburne, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Viola Davis, Don Johnson, Christoph Waltz, and Robert Downey Jr., and it follows a legendary bounty hunter as she is approached by another, who offers to help her kill the people responsible for the deaths of her family and the kidnapping of her sister if she helps him first to rescue a group of slaves, to which she agrees. The Phantom Wolf was released in theaters on March 1st, 2025. The film was a financial box-office success, grossing $921 million worldwide; it became the highest-grossing western film of all time and surpassed Django Unchained. It received critical and universal acclaim, mainly for the action sequences, visuals, story, Hans Zimmer's score and Hathaway's performance, but its graphic violence and usage of racist words drew controversy. The film overall was deemed an emotional wreck, namely for its heartbreaking ending. A prequel entitled The Phantom Wolf: Russell is scheduled to be released on October 8th, 2026, while a proper sequel is also in development.
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  • misterwolf The Following Content is Rated "R": Contains Foul Language, Gritty Images, Mature Themes, and Graphic Violence. Viewer's Discretion Advised!

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  • misterwolf At a local bar in the town of Cody, Wyoming, a bounty hunter named Harrison Rourke enters. He orders a drink, but the racist bartender refuses, so another bounty hunter named Hayley Russell shoots his sign as a threat to give Harrison his drink, which he reluctantly agrees to do. Sitting down at Hayley's table, Harrison reveals that he is looking for Frederick Glass; Hayley happens to know exactly who Frederick is, as she does his son Richard, as her sister Kayla was kidnapped by Richard, who used her as leverage to force Hayley to not intervene into him selling slaves to his father. Harrison offers to help her rescue Kayla if she helps him first to free his family from Frederick, and she agrees.

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  • misterwolf Locating Rourke's family at a ranch owned by Frederick, Hayley meets the man himself, who reveals that he is no longer a slave owner and has since freed his slaves to free states. He was disillusioned with the institution and has thus been smuggling slaves sold to him as a means to help them escape. Discovering that Hayley and Rourke were caught sneaking inside the ranch, Frederick leads Rourke to his brother Wilson, wife Sasha and son Daniel, whom he hid away until he would meet Rourke himself. Wilson sacrifices himself for the others to escape, while Frederick burns entire ranch down. Sasha reluctantly agrees to take Daniel far away from Wyoming, and they both run away. Hayley and Frederick propose a plan to Rourke: he is to play the part of a slave, and they are to masquerade as the Sellers. Understanding their logic and the concept of this plan, Rourke agrees.

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  • misterwolf Hayley enlists the help of Breck O'Neill, a long-time acquaintance of hers, and he takes a sniper position on a hill close by. Arriving at a luxurious property owned by the cruel and unstable Nathaniel Rainsford, Hayley and Frederick distract the slave owner long enough for Rourke to eventually rescue Kayla. Discovering their plans, Nathaniel informs Glass and the local Marshall Raymond Larson, but is soon sniped and killed by Breck. The group escapes after burning the property to the ground and freeing the slaves.

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  • misterwolf Rourke tells the group that he, himself, was once Glass' slave, and was next to be sold by him to Frederick just to be with his family. He instead escaped and joined the military during the Indian Wars, but he has since hated himself for doing worse things than slavery itself. Hayley consoles Rourke, assuring him that he has already done so much to regain his honor. She also reveals her own military experiences, and opens up about her failure to save a wounded child who had instead died in her arms; she adds that the child's last words were forgiveness, as she had comforted Hayley by telling her that she tried her best. The next day, the group is ambushed by Glass and Larson, and Breck is killed instantly, but a German bounty hunter named Bruno Ackermann arrives and helps them escape.

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  • misterwolf When Larson seemingly ambushes the group's camp, Ackermann appears behind him and shoots him in his left arm. Glass arrives and offers to let them go if one duels another; Ackermann reluctantly agrees when Rourke challenges Glass to duel him next. He then winks at Ackermann that his shot will not kill him, before he fires at his chest, seemingly killing him. Although Ackermann lunges back up and shoots Glass, Larson knocks him unconscious and Glass shoots Rourke through his chest, mortally wounding him, and also kills his own father. Just as Kayla is about to be taken again, Hayley shoots Glass dead and spares Larson before she carries Rourke by horse and rides off with Kayla and Ackermann.

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  • misterwolf However when they arrive at a nearby train, Rourke collapses, and Hayley tries to carry him up, but he tells her to stop, knowing his death is inevitable. Larson suddenly arrives with a group of lawmen and attacks the group again. Breck is revealed to have survived Glass' attack, and turns the tide of the gunfight, before Rourke suddenly emerges and swiftly shoots down many of the lawmen. Having pushed through what was left of his strength, he collapses again due to his injury and because he was shot again, this time by Larson. Hayley shoots Larson through his abdomen, fatally wounding him, before she pulls him up to his feet and tells him in angry tears "You shot the only man who ever cared about me." She then vengefully executes Larson with a bullet to his heart, and then comforts Rourke in his final moments, finally admitting that he was her brother-in-arms. Rourke then dies happy, safe with the knowledge that he was surrounded by friends. A mournful Hayley puts Rourke in a coffin, instructing the train conductor to give him a proper burial, before she rides off into the sunset with Hayley, Breck, and Ackermann. Throughout the end credits, Hayley's soft crying and breathing is heard.

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  • misterwolf End Credits (with Social Distortion's "Ball & Chain"): Directed by Taylor Sheridan | Produced by James Mangold and Quentin Tarantino | Edited by Roger Deakins | Written by Taylor Sheridan, Joe Carnahan, and Jerry Bruckheimer | Executive Producers: Taylor Sheridan, Kevin Costner, and Kyle Eastwood | Director of Photography: Roger Deakins | Visual Effects by John Knoll | Costumes Designed by Michael Wilkinson | Story Written by Taylor Sheridan and James Mangold | Choreography by Rob Marshall | Art Direction by David Fincher | Music by Hans Zimmer | Casting by John Papsidera, CSA | Lionsgate Presents | Samuel L. Jackson | Anne Hathaway | Michael Rooker | Lucas Black | Chris Pratt | Millie Bobby Brown | Laurence Fishburne | Yahya Abdul-Mateen II | Viola Davis | with Don Johnson | with Christoph Waltz | and Robert Downey Jr. | A Co-Production Between Legendary Pictures and RatPac-Dune Entertainment | In Association with New Line Cinema | A Film by Taylor Sheridan | THE PHANTOM WOLF

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  • misterwolf Cast: Anne Hathaway as Hayley Russell | Samuel L. Jackson as Harrison Rourke | Michael Rooker as Frederick Glass | Lucas Black as Richard Glass | Robert Downey Jr. as Marshall Larson | Millie Bobby Brown as Kayla Russell | Chris Pratt as Breck O'Neill | Viola Davis as Sasha Rourke | Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Daniel Rourke | Laurence Fishburne as Wilson Rourke | Don Johnson as Nathaniel Rainsford | Christoph Waltz as Bruno Ackermann

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  • misterwolf Reception: Although it received widespread acclaim from critics and audiences for Hathaway's performance and the action sequences, the film was deemed "emotionally draining" and became controversial for it's graphic violence and serious tonal approach to its source subject, but especially for its extreme usage of racist words. The critical consensus reads "Emotionally draining and painful to watch, The Phantom Wolf is a visually stunning masterpiece." The film holds a 95% of rotten tomatoes, indicating "universal acclaim", with 89% saying that they would "definitely recommend it." Many have considered the ending to be emotionally well-handled, adding that the character Harrison Rourke died "with a smile on his face."

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