▁also ▁liked ▁the ▁film , ▁especially ▁Smith ' s ▁performance , ▁and ▁wrote , ▁" W olf ' s ▁protagon ist ▁[ is ] ▁wonder fully ▁played ▁by ▁the ▁reliable ▁character ▁actor ▁Charles ▁Martin ▁Smith ... ▁The ▁result ▁is ▁a ▁qu ir ky , ▁de cept ively ▁simple ▁med itation ▁on ▁life ." ▁ ▁Ron ald ▁H ollow ay , ▁film ▁critic ▁of ▁Vari ety ▁magazine , ▁gave ▁the ▁film ▁a ▁mostly ▁positive ▁review , ▁and ▁wrote ▁" For ▁the ▁masses ▁out ▁there ▁who ▁love ▁nature ▁films , ▁and ▁even ▁those ▁who ▁don ' t , ▁Car roll ▁Ball ard ' s ▁more ▁than ▁fits ▁the ▁commercial ▁bill ▁and ▁should ▁score ▁well ▁too ▁with ▁critical ▁sud s < s ic > ▁on ▁several ▁counts ." ▁ ▁Some ▁critics ▁found ▁the ▁prem ise ▁of ▁Never ▁Cry ▁Wolf ▁a ▁bit ▁hard ▁to ▁believe . ▁Vincent ▁Can by , ▁film ▁critic ▁for ▁The ▁New ▁York ▁Times , ▁wrote , ▁" I ▁find ▁it ▁difficult ▁to ▁accept ▁the ▁fact ▁that ▁the ▁bi ologist , ▁just ▁after ▁an ▁air plane ▁has ▁left ▁him ▁in ▁the ▁middle ▁of ▁an ▁ icy ▁w ilder ness , ▁in ▁a ▁snow st orm , ▁would ▁prompt ly ▁get ▁out ▁his ▁type writer ▁and , ▁we aring ▁w ool en ▁glo ves , ▁attempt ▁to ▁type ▁up ▁his ▁initial ▁re actions . ▁Can by ▁added , ▁the ▁film ▁was ▁" a ▁perfectly ▁decent ▁if ▁un exception al ▁screen ▁adaptation ▁of ▁Far ley ▁M ow at ' s ▁best - s elling ▁book ▁about