Brotherhood of the Wolf

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If you crave an over-the-top historical kung fu-fantasy epic with a good dose of voluptuous nudity, bravura machismo, and passions so intense they verge on ridiculous, then Brotherhood of the Wolf is your movie. Based (loosely) on an 18th-century legend, this French film follows a hunky scientist (Samuel Le Bihan, who's sort of a second-string Christopher Lambert) and his Iroquois sidekick/spiritual partner (Mark Dacascos) as they pursue a monstrous wolf ravaging the French countryside. Along the way Le Bihan gets entwined with a beautiful noblewoman (Émilie Dequenne) and a gorgeous prostitute (Monica Belluci) with secrets. The plot grows more and more incomprehensible, but the mix of torrid emotions, outrageous action sequences, and lurid titillation is really what the movie is about. Ignore the highbrow philosophizing and confused political intrigue; just enjoy the sensual images. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

Twisted Path of the Wolf..........2007-08-21

2001's "Brotherhood of the Wolf" is a unique and over-the-top mixture of martial arts, horror, and costume drama, set in 1700's rural France. A ferocious beast resembling a werewolf ravages the countryside. The local authorities call in a naturalist from Canada and his Indian partner to solve the mystery. The two men will encounter the mysterious predator, but discover that human predators, conspiring in a brotherhood of the wolf, may be even more dangerous.

The storyline traces a twisted path through the fields, forests, farms, bordellos, and chateaus of the French countryside, in the process becoming rather convoluted. Viewers should resist the urge to apply too much analysis to the overblown plot, and settle for enjoying the ride. The movie revels in its own vivid telling; clearly, no expense was spared on costumes and sets.

The cast and production staff are nearly all French; the only actor likely to be familar to U.S. audiences is Monica Belluci, who plays a prostitute.

One of the highlights of the film is a martial arts sequence early in the movie, where the naturalist and his Indian companion confront a group of thugs. The DVD features a longer version of this fascinating fight sequence in the deleted scences section.

This movie is recommended as a different and entertaining alternative to the normal run of American-produced action films.

Movie.......2007-05-17

I saw this movie when it came out and have looked for it for a long time and finally I decided to check amazon, there it was.

If you like movies that show history in the more realistic with a plot and mythical mystery that this is the one you need to see. Brotherhood of the wolf is not a well known movie but, it is quite the leave where you are and travel into the past for the length of the movie.
It also, shows how mentally unbalanced man can be.

I received this movie quickly and with out delays.

just cool.......2007-05-14

The Brotherhood of the Wolf is a voice over but it is such a cool movie you won't care once you start watching it. The fights are good, it has a good plot twist and some hot women to boot ...

Captivating tale..........2007-05-07

of horror and fantasy. Based on true events, it blends historical drama with fantastics flights of fancy. Combat scenes were well choreographed, particularly in the deleted scenes included on the dvd.

Rousing and Robust.......2007-04-06

I can't speak French unfortunately but the English dubbing isn't bad. The cinematography is just gorgeous and the sound is incredible. Great story and good acting make this well worth seeing. I took a chance and ordered this without ever seeing it based on reviews here. All I can say is, thanks for the heads up. This is a great period piece and action movie to watch. If you enjoy movies like "Sleepy Hollow" with Johnny Depp, "Last of the Mohicans" with Daniel Day-Lewis, or "Hound of the Baskervilles" with Jeremy Brett you will probably enjoy it. I recommend it.

Average customer rating:

The Beast attacks
I can't help but like it...
Long, Random, Fitting
Take The Premise And Run
It was THIS close from being awesome

Brotherhood of Wolf (Dub Spec Sub)
Starring: Samuel Le Bihan , Vincent Cassel , Émilie Dequenne , Monica Bellucci , and Jérémie Renier
Director: Christophe Gans
Manufacturer: Import [Generic]
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00006I04R
Release Date: 2002-11-05

Customer Reviews:

The Beast attacks.......2007-03-13

Imagine a fairy tale... but with grit, blood, stylized camerawork, and lots of French kung-fu.

That about sums up "Brotherhood of the Wolf," an epic horror/martial-arts/erotic/action movie loosely based on the French legend of the Beast of Gévaudan, but with a chilling story woven around it. Christophe Gans could have given it a bit more character development, but it's a simple flaw in an otherwise terrifying, intense experience.

An enormous, savage wolflike beast is killing young women and children in the French countryside. And so royal naturalist Grégoire de Fronsac (Samuel Le Bihan) and his Native American sidekick Mani (Mark Dacascos) arrive to investigate, and find that the local authorities are incompetant, the Beast is larger than any wolf, and it's still savaging the locals.

Mani and Grégoire set about tracking down the beast, finding it to be too large and intelligent (and with metal fangs too). But something more sinister than animal attacks is going on -- Fronsac uncovers a mysterious, treasonous society connected to the Beast, and a mysterious courtesan (Monica Belucci) with hidden motives.

It may be based on a real incident, but "Brotherhood of the Wolf" soon takes off into its own storyline. And director Gans crams the whole thing with whatever he likes -- horror, action, fantasy, political period drama, and some French martial arts. It's like an old fairy tale mutated into a live-action anime.

And Gans' direction style can include a little of everything too -- he handles rosy-skied romantic scenes with the same dexterity as raw sex scenes, rainy sludge and bloody chases. And he handles the camera just as well, although the style comes as a bit of a shock in a period film -- it zooms down cliffs and through underbrush, rapid-pans, and lingers on the fairy-tale landscapes of the French countryside.

One of the best examples of this is near the beginning, with Mani and Grégoire encountering a pair of gypsies being bullied, and Mani whipping the bullies with savate and a little la canne. It's a wild, dizzying scene, and thoroughly effective in showing these guys as a force to be reckoned with. But at the same time, Gans wraps the beginning and end in a sense of poignant regret.

If there's a flaw, it's that the plot and rich direction take up so much time that it's hard to wedge in some character development. Bihan fares pretty well as the inscrutable taxidermist, and over the course of the movie, you develop a liking for him and his girlfriend. But it would have been nice if the characters of Mani and Sylvia were explored a bit more than they were -- as it is, Belucci and Dacascos do amazing jobs with their characters.

This horror/action/period/French kung-fu flick breaks all the rules, and it's all the more enjoyable for it. A glorious action classic, and a must-see for cult film lovers.

I can't help but like it..........2007-01-24

I own both versions of this film. I like both but prefer the longer Canadian / Directors cut. The 3 disc set is worth buying.

My favorite part is chapter 2. Kung Fu! Mud Fu!

I only regret that I can't understand the commentaries only in French.

I first saw this movie in a theater. My wife and I loved it.

We know it's a mish-mash of various genre, but we don't care.
It has beautiful settings; great period costumes and superb action.
I like all the actors too.

It probably won't ever make the Criterion Collection but I plan to watch it once a year just because it's one of my top 10 favorite films of all time.

It just feels right.

[If you don't like the sight of blood; avoid this film]

Long, Random, Fitting.......2007-01-11

At first you'll think it's a drama/mystery, then you see the bad CGI effects, then it shifts into a sci-fi film, towards the end it shifts to action, and finally it shifts back to drama. The film was placed in the drama/horror section. I thought it was going to be a nice drama dealing with werewolves, but I was wrong. This film was a genre-shifter, it was suprisingly different, kind of enjoyable, and kind of long. It's hard to rate this film. The iron-chef was the best. Now I must eat, watch it for yourself.

Take The Premise And Run.......2006-10-15

Christophe Gans has certainly proven himself to be a bold and talented visionary; This film is filled with so much beauty and style that it's almost possible to overlook the fact that it's just a little too long. But I have great respect for a filmmaker who puts so much before us, takes us somewhere we've never been, and does so (for the most part) successfully. I made a 95 minute version of this movie by trimming selected scenes, and I watch it just about weekly. It's kind of like what I did w/his 'Silent Hill'. There is a masterpiece in everything he's done...Nice acting(the lead reminds me of David Lee Roth, minus the spandex...), great production design, excellent locations. Absolute eye candy for sure. Plus he gets points for twisting such a traditional genre, what with that whole fairy tale-esque thing and all. Love the scene in the snow. Looks great on DVD...

It was THIS close from being awesome.......2006-08-25

For the most part, foreign films tend to be divided into 2 categories: serious dramas and everything else with an abundance of dramas. Well here comes Le Pacte des Loups(Brotherhood of the Wolf) to try to combine as much genres as it can: it's part horror, comedy, action, period piece and drama. Well instead of a case of its sum being better than its parts, it does make some critical errors that stops it from being great.

Inspired by a real-life story, the Beast de Gevaudan is terrorizing people in the countryside of French, a beast the size of a cow. In comes Gregoire de Fronsac and Mani, 2 friends to try and hunt down the beast. But that's not all as there's some religious aspects to it as well as Gregoire falling in love with a beautiful woman while hanging around with a prostitute.

One thing you can't fault the film on is its visuals. Lush cinematography and set design gives the film its appropriate epic feel. However the beast at times looks too obviously CG and it kind of takes you away from the film a bit. However its appearance is always intriguing, including an attack on a poor woman in a swamp. While it does take a Jaws-like approach, keeping the beast hidden or not in plain sight, once he does show up in full glory, it's kind of distracting.

What the film ends up making as far as a flaw goes is its length. Granted 2 hour and 20 minutes isn't that bad but in this film, it drags at times. But oddly enough it's one of those kind of films where I couldn't figure out what should be cut if I made the film myself since everything fits yet at the same time it still drags. But when you have 2 bad*sses in the film and 2 cutie actresses, it works fine.

Wanting my education to be more well-rounded, mom put me in French immersion in grade 1 and it sure paid off since otherwise you wouldn't be able to watch the commentaries. Unlike Spirits Within which had English subtitles for its Japanese speakers, this has NO subtitles so unless you know French, you're out of luck. The rest of the extras are great as we get deleted scenes, 2 hour-plus documentaries which should explain everything you need to know.

It's hard to recommend the film since it's not like one of those "anybody can watch it" kind. Either you'll love it or you'll despite it. But at least give it a chance and try it out.

Le Pacte des Loups (Original French Version with English Subtitles)

Average customer rating:

Haunting

Le Pacte des Loups (Original French Version with English Subtitles)

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ASIN: B000AXPPCU

Product Description

In 1765 something was stalking the mountains of south-western France. A 'beast' that pounced on humans and animals with terrible ferocity. Indeed they beast became so notorious that the King of France dispatched envoys to find out what was happening and to kill the creature. By the end, the Beast of Gevaudan had killed over 100 people, to this day, no one is entirely sure what it was, wolf? hyena? or something supernatural? Whatever it was, shepherds had the same life-expectancy as the red-suited guys in 'Star Trek'. The Beast is a popular myth in France, albeit one rooted firmly in reality; somewhat surprisingly it is little known to the outside world, and perhaps incredibly it has never been made into a movie. Until now... Based on the true story of the Beast of the Gevaudan that terrorised France in the mid-XVIIIth century, the movie aims to tell first and explain afterwards. In the first part, a special envoy of the King of France, altogether biologist, explorer and philosopher, arrives in the Gevaudan region, in the mountainous central part of France. The Beast has been attacking women and children for months and nobody has quite been able to harm it or even take a good look at it. In the second part, our hero Chevalier de Fronsac will not only have to fight the Beast, but also ignorance, bigotry and conspiracy and will rely on two women, one an aristocrat, the other a prostitute, as well as the enigmatic Mani, an Iroquois he met in New-France (Canada).

Customer Reviews:

Haunting.......2007-09-06

I saw this when it came out on DVD and it was the french version with subtitles. I couldn't get over the film, so I had to buy it. Alas, I bought the version that was dubbed. And, it just didn't work for me. So, I mustered up my courage and found the french version with subtitles. This is a film that has everything: mystery, romance, martial arts, rich history, and frankly a lot of extremely good looking people, and of course one super creepy villian. If you like a roller-coaster movie, this is the one for you!

Scorpion King/Brotherhood of the Wolf 2PK

Average customer rating:

Scorpion King/Brotherhood of the Wolf 2PK
Starring: Rock
Manufacturer: Universal Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00014NFFC
Release Date: 2004-01-06

Average customer rating:

Unexpected Cinematic Treat

Brotherhood of the Wolf [Region 2]
Starring: Samuel Le Bihan , Vincent Cassel , Émilie Dequenne , Monica Bellucci , and Jérémie Renier
Director: Christophe Gans
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00006FI5P

Customer Reviews:

Unexpected Cinematic Treat.......2006-09-27

This review refers to "Brotherhood Of The Wolf"(Le Pacte Des Loups)...

Martial Arts films are usually not my first choice when it comes to selecting a film to view. But every once in a while(about semi-annually), I relinquish the DVD player to the rest of my family, secretly hoping they will pick an old Grant-Dunne film(this will NEVER, EVER happen). I was not surprised when they chose this one. I was however, delighted to see that... what's this?, they were watching a French film, and I sat down to see what it was all about. The big surprise was that nearly 2 and 1/2 hours later, I was the only one left, still sitting through all the credits,and taking in the beautiful end music.

The film captivated me right from the start. The artful photography,the chilling story and the beautiful romance, kept me so engrossed, I didn't even realize how much time had passed.The tale is set in 18th century France. A horrible beast is terrorizing the land and woman and children are it's favorite victims.The stories of the beast grow through the land prompting the King to send Gregoire de Fronsca, animal expert and a bit of a philosopher to investigate these grizzly events.Together with his trusted blood brother,Mani, an American Iroquois,they follow their instincts and a trail that leads to some deep dark secrets.

There are lots of beautifully filmed action sequences, suspense, thrills and chills, and romance along the way.It was wonderfully directed by Christopher Gans and well acted. The cast includes Samuel Le Behan, Vincent Cassel,Emilie Dequenne, Monica Belluci, and Marc Dacascos as "Mani".The cinematography(Dan Lausten), the music and the costumes all add up to a cinematic treat.

This DVD(ASIN: B00006FI5P ) is compatible with DVD players in Region 2- mostly for Japan, Europe, South Africa, and the Middle East, including Egypt ,but some players are compatible with all regions. Check your manual, and also look at the details of the product for Languages and subtitles available,also check for best prices among the various editions. U.S. is Region 1.This edition appears to be available only fron the outside merchants at this time.

Recommended for those who enjoy action, adventure,chills, romance, and fine filmmaking.It will stand up to repeated viewings as well. It is however rated R for sexual and violent scenes.

Go for it......Laurie

Average customer rating:

Unexpected Cinematic Treat

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Unexpected Cinematic Treat.......2006-09-27

The Scorpion King/Brotherhood of the Wolf

Average customer rating:

One film worth checking out but not a good double-feature

The Scorpion King/Brotherhood of the Wolf
Starring: Samuel Le Bihan , Vincent Cassel , Émilie Dequenne , Monica Bellucci , and Jérémie Renier
Director: Christophe Gans , and Chuck Russell
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000VV5I0
Release Date: 2004-01-02

Customer Reviews:

One film worth checking out but not a good double-feature.......2005-03-02

What we have here is another unfortunate pairing of films that could have found better mates, because nobody who has seen these films would suggest this as a double feature. "The Scorpion King" is the lesser of the two. We know the Rock played a character called the Scorpion King in "The Mummy Returns," which was supposed to set up this film. But the character goes from being a silent, brooding warrior of great strength and skill to a wisecracking, snarling warrior of great strength and skill. Did I miss something? At least in "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" they explained how the character went from being the villain to the hero. No such explanation is offered here for what I thought was a similar transition. Then again, maybe I am guilty of thinking, which is not a prerequisite skill for watching this film.

Ironically, you may well enjoy this film a whole lot more if you have not seen "The Mummy Returns," especially if you are a devotee of WWF wrestling, the arena in which the Rock originally perfected his eyebrow arching technique. The story is set way before the pyramids were build, when the original Scorpion King, Memnon (Steven Brand) was the best swordsman on the planet and used the prophetic talents of a sorceress (Kelly Hu) to rule the known desert. Going up against him are the Arkadians, a group of professional assassins, of which Mathayus (the Rock) is the best and the brightest. He is aided by a giant Nubian (Michael Clarke Duncan) is what is certainly an homage to the legendary friendship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu (sorry, I was thinking again). Anyhow, "The Scorpion King" is clearly a standard action adventure in which the hero has to kill the bad guy, win the woman, and rule happily ever after.

It dawns on me that this film is similar to "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." That film made Hong Kong wire work a part of the Hollywood cinematic repertoire, where as this film does the same for WWF Wrestling techniques. This film is not happy unless it is going over the top. When our hero shoots somebody with an arrow in this film the result is comparable to having used a small tactical missile: they are sent flying through the wall. The film certainly delivers exactly what you would expect, high energy heroics at breakneck speed, but a bit more creativity would have been nice. At least the dialogue knows it is supposed to be either tongue in cheek or painfully bad, so you cannot hold that against the film. The Rock delivers the performance demanded by his fans, so that is not going to be grounds for big complaints either. I did enjoy the film, more than I thought I would, but the ultimate standard for an action film is your desire to watch it again and again, and on that critical score "The Scorpion King" falls short (3 stars).

Then we have a film that tosses just about everything into the pot, including the French Revolution. "The Brotherhood of the Wolf" ("Le Pacte des Loups") starts off as a exquisitely photographed costume drama/horror flick set in 18th century France with a poor peasant girl being hunted down by an unseen beast. My first thought that this was a beautiful film, more reminiscent of a Jane Austen period piece than a horror flick from Hammer Studio. But then our hero, Grégoire de Fronsac (Samuel Le Bihan) and his faithful Indian companion, Mani (Mark Dacasos), show up and we suddenly discover the film is also a cross between "The Last of the Mohicans" and "Couching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." However, since this is movie based on a legend regarding a huge wolf ravaging the French countryside, this hardly seems the time to insist upon a standard of realism.

The collaboration between director Christophe Gans and cinematographer Dan Laustsen results in some beautiful and memorable camera shots (most notably, as the camera tracks up a woman's nude body it morphs into snow covered terrain), often playing with time and movement to great effect. In the deleted scenes Gans provides a sort of mini-commentary on the film that is quite interesting in terms of setting up the film's dynamic, especially regarding the opening sequence originally conceived for the film and the scene that replace it. Laustsen is the cinematographer on upcoming "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen," and my assumption is that when I see that film I will have a better sense of who contributed the most to "Brotherhood of the Wolf."

The film was edited Xavier Loutreuil and Sébastien Prangère, with David Wu doing the Hong Kong kung fu fight sequences, which are impresive because they do not, for the most part, violate the realism of the time, which is a way of saying the wire work is extremely limited and understated. I also like the way Fronsac's love triangle is color coded: Marianne de Morangias (Émilie Dequenne) is a redhead often dressed in a red uniform while the raven haired Sylvia (Monica Bellucci) always wears black. The rouge/noir opposition works well in contrast to the blues, browns and yellows which serve as the palatte for most of the film.

My only real complaint is actually the traditional complaint one has after watching a Hammer horror film: the beast, when we finally get to see it, is something of a disappointment. However, I will allow that this is probably due as much to my heightened expectations given the quality level of the rest of the film more than to the limitations of CIG technology. The second time I watched the film this aspects was less bothersome to me, but still something of a disappointment. An action/horror/fantasy/thriller/romance like "Brotherhood of the Wolf" is not going to be embraced by everyone, but certainly fans of those genres will admire the ambition of this film, the most beautiful of its type we have ever seen (4 stars). This is the film to check out, but since this pairing makes no sense, we round down once we split the difference.

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