Brotherhood of the Wolf

Interesting as well as exciting epic movie plenty of violent fighting , thrills , inevitable ending confrontation and resulting to be a mix selection of genres . The picture is full of tumultuous sequences with frenetic action , surprises , wolf attacks , fierce combats and groundbreaking struggles . In 18th century France, a dashing hero , the Chevalier De Fronsac (Samuel Le Bihan) and his native American friend Mani (Mark Dacascos) are sent by the King Louis XV to the Gevaudan province to investigate the killings of hundreds by a mysterious beast (based on facts about an unknown animal who killed more than one hundred people in France at the end of 18th century) , a werewolf-like creature (made by Jim Henson factory) that has been massacring villagers . As an Iroquois valiant fighting alongside white blood brother . A huge wolf-hunt produces a pile of carcasses , but the attacks continue . Meanwhile , Chevalier and Mani visit a bordello , there meet Sylvia (Monica Belucci) , in fact the only person who knew the whole truth to both sides of the story regarding the beast and she manipulated Fronsac into dreaming and nightmare . Then , Chevalier falls sin love for a mysterious courtesan (Emilie Dequenne) and they are hindered by her jealous brother , Jean Francois (Vincent Cassel) . All of them become caught up in religious , political intrigues , rampant superstition and the vested interests of local aristos . At the end The French Revolution has swept the land and The Revolution has become the Terror.

This sumptuous period drama displays action-packed , Chop-Socky , thrills , swashbuckling , fast-paced and wild fighting images . It is an action-filled and violent film , being splendidly filmed by Christopher Gans . Director carries out an alchemical fusion of cinematic elements such as scary monster film , mystery , thriller , Kung-Fu and period drama . The movie was released in January 2001 and was a great success , as more than five million people saw it. Fights , attacks and exciting combats very well staged by expert Philip Kwok , the result is a strong entry for action buffs . Marvelous production design , set in 18th century France , though imbued with a 21th century sensibility . The picture was based on true events , in fact there actually was a Beast of Gévaudan which was a real wolf-like creature that prowled the Auvergne and South Dordogne regions of France during the years 1764 to 1767, killing about 100 people, often in bizarre circumstances and all the primary characters, except the Native American Mani, actually existed and lived during reign of King Louis XV. Extraordinary support cast formed by prestigious French actors such as Jérémie Renier as Thomas d'Apcher , Jean-François Stévenin as Sardis , Jacques Perrin as Thomas , Jean Yanne as Comte De Morangias Bernard Farcy as Laffont , Edith Scob as Mme De Morangias , Bernard Fresson as Mercier and Philippe Nahon as Jean Chastel . Thrilling as well as evocative musical score by Joseph LoDuca . Colorful and glamorous cinematography by Dan Laustsen .

The motion picture was stunningly directed by Christophe Gans and achieved big success at European box office . Universal Pictures paid $2 million for the rights to distribute this movie in the United States, and this movie went on grossing $11.2 million in limited theatrical release in the United States, making it the second-highest-grossing French-language movie in the United States since 1980 . Its director Christophe Gans is a good French professional who has realized a few but stunning films . Gans first realized Shorts and he then decided to make movies and directed one of the three parts of Necronomicon (1994) called "The Drowned" , later on , "Crying Freeman" from the famous Japanese Manga. And finally the big budgeted horror ¨Silent Hill¨ , he is nowadays preparing a new version of "Beauty and the Beast" .

Candle-lit interior cinematography, lush misty landscapes, strong characters, exquisite costumes, an authentic boudoir recreation of 18th century French society, a new kind of savage 'monster' and some of the finest stylized fight scenes ever laid down in a 'genre' film, place "Brotherhood of the Wolf" among the classiest horror adventure films of all time.

Great moments include the culminating rage of Samuel Le Bihan's gentlemanly character 'Fronsac' who explodes into a Conan-like fury as he meets out 'justice' to those that wronged his Iroquois-Mohawk 'blood brother' played by Marc Dacascos, Vincent Cassel suitably creepy as the decadent 'Morangias', sensuous Monica Belluci as the dangerous and vicious 'Sylvia', interesting historical plot-points, and a bond of friendship between an unlikely pair of frontier adventurers, make director Christopher Gans "Brotherhood of the Wolf" an original masterpiece of 'genre' film-making...

I am very much in awe of this movie. Brotherhood of the Wolf encompasses every genre of film; martial arts, action, romance, thriller, horror, drama, everything. Keeping with the spirit of all these genres, it invokes many emotions from the viewer. A beast is terrorizing the countryside of Gevaudan and the villagers believe no man or bullet can put it down. Enter the ultimate Jack of all Trades, Grégoire de Fronsac, and his brother-in-arms, Mani, who have come to town to stop/capture this menacing beast. The story starts here and has so many twists and turns it could make your head spin. The cast is incredible. I have no idea who this Samuel Le Bihan guy is, but he absolutely rocks it as Fronsac. This also has potential to be a breakout role for Mark Dacascos but we'll have to wait and see on that one. Even if he doesn't make it beyond the B action flick, Mani will always be an unforgettable character. And Vincent Cassel is incredibly suave and creepy at the same time. Brotherhood is an absolutely beautiful example of what film can look like. The cinematography combined with the editing makes for some truly fantastic scenes. Let's not forget the fight choreography. There are some tremendous fight sequences that rival those from Hong Kong cinema. Some movies become great because they have that one moment that will forever live on in your memory; Moments that are undoubtedly awesome. Brotherhood of the Wolf is simply just one big moment. Other than the films by Luc Besson, I've never really been a follower of French cinema. But with the coming of this movie and the equally dark and beautiful Crimson Rivers I could get into it.

The Beast of Gevaudan roamed the region for three years in the mid-18th century, killing 80 - 100 people in this time range and prompting the king to call upon numerous hunters to track the beast and kill it.

To this day, the Beast is an unsolved mystery. Some claim it was a deranged wolf with a blood lust (since it rarely ate its victims and would instead crush their skulls with its jaw), while others believe it was an extinct species of hyena. Others believe the beast has been exaggerated over the years and it could have merely been an escaped lion. Then there are those who believe it was a trained creature working with a human counterpart - an early serial killer using an animal to help him kill.

The movie is interesting because, like Mark Pellington's "The Mothman Prophecies," it takes an engaging urban legend and instead of trying to find any direct answers or make it a film entirely _about_ the creature itself, it uses the backdrop as a means to explore other elements.

"Le pacte des loups" (The Brotherhood of the Wolf) takes the story of the Beast of Gevaudan and twists it around quite a bit. Some of it works well - the mix of period piece and action movie is a nice blend - but particularly towards the end, once it turns into an unbelievable Jet Li-style martial arts flick, it goes down an awkward path and ruins a lot of what it has already established. It's the one thing that pushes the genre-bender over the edge and it really does feel too bogged down by that point. Also, the revelations during the finale - involving the beast and the plot behind its motivations - are fairly weak.

However, the setup is fine, and the movie is an interesting oddity: a weird little mix of genres that offers a bit for everyone, even if its ending is a let-down.

Le Pacte des Loups is a fairly impressive movie. What other movie can spend two and a half hours on a ravaging monster fought by a scientist and his loyal Iroqois "brother" in 18th century France, and keep its audience enraptured? Its plot is a bit obscure in places, admittedly, leaving the audience not so much in suspense as confusion, but this is the unconventionality that comes with such a unique work. The acting was a bit above average, the actors and actresses combining well with the enchanting atmosphere and succeeding in making memorable characters. The score also contributes to the film's mysterious mood, and great cinematography (although occasionally overdone) helps it out too. While all this goes a long way to making a great film, it is the dazzling action sequences that make it a classic. The choreography is great, the sound effects make you feel as if you're standing a foot away, and the mystery of the movie is such that nearly every battle's outcome is uncertain. If the romance is trite, a few lines seem out of place, and the plot falters a bit, overall, this is still quite a movie to watch if you're looking for a lot of adventure and action. [8/10]