Review of Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001) by Rudy S — 17 Jul 2010

A film that is a mix of so many different genres all in one. There is romance, martial arts, fantasy, horror, conspiracy, and humor. This is a difficult film to review because there's just so much you'll find in it.

This film is loosely based on the legend of the Beast of Gevaudan. This myth is really only used as a catalyst for the many twists and turns this story takes, and this film does in fact become much more complex than I predicted.

The one thing that stands out the most about this film is how beautifully shot it all is. The cinematography is absolutely breathtaking and the French locations are beautiful. The fight scenes are brilliantly staged like something you would see from a hong kong action flick.

Director Christophe Gans has done something that I have never seen before. He has made a monster movie that is both a work of art and a masterpiece of modern filmmaking. I really cannot explain the plot because I would be giving too much away, and there is just way too much to write about.

All I can reveal is what you already know about this film. Gregoire de Fronsac and his Indian friend Mani are sent to the province of Gevaudan to investigate the mysterious killings of an unknown beast.

Samuel Le Bihan portrays Gregoire de Fronsac quite well and Mark Dacascos is superb as Mani. Mani is my favorite character of the film and I was very pleased with how Dacascos portrayed him. While investigating the killings, Gregoire becomes infatuated with Marianne, portrayed by the beautiful and innocent looking actress Emilie Dequenne.

The many characters Gregoire and Mani encounter while searching for the beast have an important role in the story. Vincent Cassel, one of the greatest French actors of all time, plays a very important role here and his character comes into play in a big way towards the end of the film.

Monica Bellucci is fantastic as a deadly temptress, which is a role that suits her perfectly. Bellucci is known for her dark beauty and intense sex appeal. Jeremie Renier plays an important character as well, but I won't reveal how.

This film is an explosion of great filmmaking, brilliant storytelling, intense action, compelling fantasy, sexual intrigue, and gripping adventure. I have to mention this one scene I really love which involves Gregoire speaking of an unusual fish he caught that one of the characters reveals to be a hoax.

Gregoire claims this to be true and explains how stories and myths can make us believe that almost anything can be true and how easy we are fooled. Basically he's saying that miracles and magic are often created by illusions of logic and trickery.

There is often a discussion of whether Gregoire is a naturalist or a philosopher, which is an important part of the film because I believe that naturalism and philosophy make up the two halves of the world.

The naturalist side wish to explain the world using logic and science while the philosophical side is the exact opposite. You either look for a logical answer to everything or you look a little deeper in order to find something far more extraordinary.

I am without a doubt on the philosophical side. Brotherhood of the Wolf is a masterpiece of French cinema. It's beautiful to look at and intriguing to watch. Some claim this film is overlong and boring, but how can a film with such beautiful scenery, lush landscapes, and brilliant storytelling be so boring? I'll never know.