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The Brotherhood of the Wolf
aka Le Pacte des Loups
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France, 2001. Rated R. 142 minutes.
Cast:
Samuel Le Bihan, Mark Dacascos, Vincent Cassel, Emilie Dequenne, Monica
Belluci, Jérémie Rénier, Jean Yann, Jean-François Stévenin, Jacques Perris,
Johan Leysen, Bernard Farcy, Edith Scob, Eric Prat, Philippe Nahon, Virginie
Darmon
Writers: Stéphane Cabel, Christophe Gans
Music: Joseph LoDuca
Cinematographer: Dan Laustsen
Producers: Richard Grandpierre, Samuel Hadida
Director: Christophe Gans
LINKS
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naturalist
and his mysterious sidekick are dispatched by the King of France to the province
of Gevaudan to hunt down a wolf-like beast that has been terrorizing the countryside.
An action/horror romp inspired by an actual legend, The Brotherhood of the
Wolf… No, scratch that. The Brotherhood of the Wolf is a costume
drama… No, wait, it's a comedy… No, hang on, it's a fantasy/adventure… No, a
romance…. No, wait, Our Hero just shacked up with a prostitute--it's an erotic
thriller! No, it's definitely a martial arts film… No, a historical…religious…mystical…
No, a spoof! Wait, no, it's The Musketeer!
No, The Last of the Mohicans! No, I've got it now, it's Sleepy
Hollow! Or maybe more like From Hell… No, it's The
Messenger! Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon! No, wait, it's Eyes
Wide Shut! No, no, it's Kickboxer! No, it's Dangerous
Beauty! Hang on, we're back to The Last of the Mohicans. No,
Greystoke. No, it's Kung Pow: Enter the Fist! No…
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The Big Picture
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| Carlo |
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| Claudia |
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| ratings explained |
It's French. It's got some guy named Samuel Le Bihan running around. He's got
sort of a young, blond, Christopher Lambert thing going on. It's got Emilie
Dequenne, who's got a pile of awards for Rosetta, including Best Actress
at Cannes. She's chosen a completely ornamental role and looks about eight years
younger than she actually is, and she's only twenty. It's got European superstar
couple Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel. 
Bellucci
(Malena) tries to be sultry, and succeeds; Cassel (the upcoming Birthday
Girl) tries to be intimidating, and fails, coming off only slightly less
silly than his wacky Duke of Anjou in Elizabeth.
Did you know the French think he's hot and studly? Amazing.
It's got costumes remaindered from Eyes Wide Shut and choreography remaindered
from The Matrix. It's got bad guys
who belong in a different millennium, like in the opening battle in Gladiator.
It's got dreadful creature effects from Jim Henson's Creature Shop. It's got
philosophy. It's got the Age of Reason and the Reign of Terror. It has Things
to Say about racism. It's got wolves. Lots and lots of wolves. It's got papal
intrigues and revolutionary scheming. It's got a Native American. Played by
a Hawaiian dude. Named Mark Dacascos. The star of American Ninja and
Kickboxer 5. He can't act, but he can sure kick butt.
What a ridiculous film this is. What a brazenly, aggressively, stupendously
ridiculous film! In the pantheon of ridiculous films, this is up there with
Tremors and They Live. In fact, this goes beyond Tremors
and They Live, which, despite their absurdity, were quite content to
stick to a limited action/horror mode. The Brotherhood of the Wolf is
a little long, perhaps, but worth seeing for its unique, nutty mélange of genres
and styles.
Review
© January 2002 by AboutFilm.Com and the author.
Images © 2001 Universal Studios and Davis Films. All Rights Reserved.
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