Review of Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001) by Elisa L — 27 Mar 2008

When it comes to the thrill of the visual, the imagination, the detail and the persona, Brotherhood of the Wolf accomplishes a great deal more than just any ordinary package. It seamlessly blends fact, legend, and outright fiction to create an exhilarating, genuinely scary, and at times moving film.

Brotherhood of the Wolf is a costumed period-piece kung-fu styled adventure, fantasy, romance, horror and religious conspiracy film.

And contrary to my expectations of a somewhat cheesy B-movie with some cool fight scenes, its actually a well-made and highly polished film with excellent production values. Even when the story occasionally gets draggy in-between the action, as it deviates into the courting of Marianne or conspiratorial intrigues, there is always something on screen to hold the attention. Whether it be an interesting bit of cinematography, the gorgeous scenery, or noteworthy performances, Brotherhood of the Wolf is sometimes slow, but never boring. And when the fist and feet start flying, it rivals some of the greatest kung-fu movies ever made.

The performances are solid, and Le Bihan is both amusing and compelling in the lead role. However, it's hard for him to not have the show stolen from him by Dacascos, who prefers to let the fists and feet do the talking.

This movie could have turned out to be a huge mess. For some reason, though, it all comes together to create one of the most intriguing films I've seen. Seeing a bunch of guys getting drop-kicked to the head certainly doesn't hurt, either. It may be too much for many moviegoers. But if you can give yourself over to its unique tone and its feverish imagination, you'll be well-rewarded.