Review of Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001) by Sean F — 14 Apr 2009

What is it that makes the Brotherhood of the Wolf so intriguing? Is it the violence, is it the suspense of betrayal, is it the plot, is it the underlying relationships and love, or is it the horror?

It?s mixture of all of these things that keep viewers attention throughout the film. Many people complain that the length of the film is too long. Yes, the film is quite lengthy, totaling at two and a half hours, but the film is actually set at a nice pace. The details and full development of the story allow you to stay interested in the film and keep you questioning the truth to the very end.

I enjoyed the depth of the story. It was far from some typical simple plotted action flicks, and had an intricate suspenseful plot. For example, the viewer knows that there is a beast, but doesn?t know what the beast looks like until well over half way through the film, and the viewer isn?t even close to realizing who is behind this horrible beast either. They give you a little, and then keeping you asking questions, waiting for more.

Brotherhood of the Wolf crosses the ocean, not only appealing to the French crowd. Yes, there are a lot of graphic scenes, both with violence and sex, which some Americans may not take well, but c?est la vie. As an American viewer, I was a bit surprised by a few scenes, such as the opening scene, when a girl is being thrown around by the beast into a boulder, but in the end, I think those moments added to the intensity of the film.