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Brotherhood of the Wolf

Brotherhood of the Wolf

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Always on the edge to the gates of Hell............
Review: I am an extreme fan of horror, martial arts, and mystery. I have never been more intrigued by a foreign film with subtitles in my life. The twists and turns this movie makes, keeps you on the edge of your seat and constantly guessing. The DVD, is extremely worth your while, and the you money spent to buy it. A Must see movie, especially if you didnt see it in the theaters. I,personally, will never again underestimate another foriegn film, even if it has subtitles. And I am eagerly awaiting a sequal. This movie not only can scare you, you feel the beatings people receive, and you are constantly trying to figure out who is behind it, what it is, and hoping that the story will continue. I hope you will enjoy this movie as much as I do.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A 'Howl' Of A Good Movie!!
Review: Basicly for a person who is a dreamer, romantic at heart, but likes to dabble in the scaryness of life this film is excellent for you. The film is long, but well worth it I beleive. It keeps you guessing till the end, you cant leave your seat or you'll loose your place. Eventhough it was subtitled it was easy to keep up with. This was my first subtitled film and I speak no French, but I truely love this movie, .... Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Now I am scared...
Review: A GREAT French film, not just good, but GREAT. A foriegn film this good must be a sign of the apocolypse! The cinematography, the plot and the great fight scenes (Marc Dacascos is simply outstanding, Jet Li could not have done it better) make this film a pleasure to watch. GO SEE THIS MOVIE.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Wets one's appetite for something more.
Review: The most surprising (and perhaps disappointing) aspect of Christophe Gans' French genre-bender "Brotherhood of the Wolf" is how similar it is to the ways in which American films attempt to outdo themselves with flashy fight choreography and special effects. Let it be said that the film is an unusual success, but a narrow one at that. The visual bravura of the film, from the scope and scale of its landscapes, to the action and thrills, are put on display without abandon, though the story is meak in many places, and the film never really goes over the edge like it should.

The film is book-ended by narration, which carries us into the 18th century, at a time of unrest. The lands of Gevaudon in France are inhabited by those who live in fear of a creature known as the Beast, whose habits are never fully realized until the end, providing it a fitting aura of mystery. Called in to investigate the ongoing case and bring the Beast's reign of terror to an end is Grégoire de Fronsac (Samuel Le Bihan), a scientist wary of the tall tales he believes the townsfolk are telling. At his side is Mani (Mark Dacascos), an Iroquois Indian who, strangely enough, has mastered the art of kung-fu.

The premise is based rather loosely on a French urban legend centering on a mythical beast that rampaged the lands of Gevaudon. For some reason the movie never explains, the Beast only attacks women and children, but runs from men; it fears no firearms, and has garnered a terrific amount of attention from the people of the region. After a few instances and a glimpse for himself of the monster, Fronsac is able to see that it has been fitted with armor, leading him to believe that it is under the control of someone using it as a tool for some dark purpose.

That purpose is connected to the history of France, but without much resonance or interest. The film's attempts to inject a political fervor into the story fail for the most part; in effect, there are long periods of extreme tedium as the movie picks itself back up for another round of action. There are various different subplots involved, ranging from romantic involvement between Fronsac and a noblewoman, and his involvement with a prostitute who knows more than she is willing to reveal.

Of course, a movie like "Brotherhood of the Wolf" is not interested in keeping up a coherent appearance; it's plot is basically an outlet for its stylistic vision. For a good amount of running time, this tactic is a success, featuring some terrific action choreography and fight sequences that dazzle the eyes. Overall, the film possesses a gorgeous look, that which juxtaposes the magnificent beauty of the lands with the decrepit nature of the dark underworld that awaits the audience in later moments.

But, there's a part of me that can't overlook how American this un-American film actually is. The eye-popping fights and action, the special effects used to make the monster look more like a CGI model than an actual menace, keep the movie from being a truly striking experience rather than just an interesting one. At times, Gans is too confident that style can pass as substance; in some instances, this works, but there needs to be some defining of the story to hold our attention.

Overall, I recommend the film. It's a gorgeous costume drama/horror thriller/period piece/romance meller that occasionally tends to sweep the viewers off their feet into another time and place without fail. If anything, "Brotherhood of the Wolf" wets one's appetite for something more, something that will one day truly set a new standard in filmmaking.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One heckavua good movie
Review: I was intrigued and excited watching the coming attractions and trailers for this movie and could hardly wait till it arrived in the theaters.
When it finally hit the tri state area on a snowy day ,and night, my oldest son and I braved the storm to go see it.
It was great and exceeeded our expectations. We were fortunate enough to have it show in a brand new theater with a state of the art surrond sound system and new screens, that enhanced the experience even more. Both my son and I gave it a big thumbs up.
I liked it so much I went to see it again. Its just that kind of movie that if you like it, you love it , and are captivated by the story line, the kick-butt action sequences and the lush cinematography .
Oh, and the good looking ladies didnt hurt, either.
Believe it or not thats the only flaw in an other wise wonderful movie. That the hero "le fronsac" chooses an OK looking french daughter of the count over the very hot, mysterious and intellegent Monica Belluci. Now that part was completly UNBELIEVABLE!
From reading the reviews here I think some people thought this was a monster movie, which its not. Its about the montrosities that men commit , whether in the name of god or government, to further their own means and ends, regardless of the consequences to those that they feel stand in thier way.
An awesome movie but with a very subtle message of great meaning.
Cant wait till it comes out on DVD. This is a must for my collection.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Everything you could ask for in a movie
Review: This film is awesome. If you like a good action-packed mystery/horror flick then you will love this movie. It is the story of Mani and Fronsac two French/Indian war veterans who are asked to come to France to find and kill the invincible beast that is devastating a small French coutryside. This film is not another mindless horror flick with a simple, formulaic plot. It is very complex in terms of story and character motivations. The characters themselves are all interesting and unique unto themselves. Mani is an Iroquois Indian who fights like Jet Li. The guy who plays Mani did a wonderful job. I haven't seen so much charisma in an actor since Bruce Lee. Fronsac is a naturalist/taxidermist who falls for a beautiful girl who is the daughter of the King. He can also fight well.

The best things about this movie is the story behind the wolf itself, the scenery and cinematography, the martial arts fighting (especially with Mani), the gorgeous women, and the camera direction. The french subtitles didn't bother me at all but I might have to go see the film again because it was hard to follow sometimes. It's just really complex, that's all. It's also a long movie at a good two hours, maybe more. I definitely wouldn't mind seeing it again. It's the best action movie I've seen since the Matrix. Do yourself a favor and check it out.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Wolves Rule!
Review: Hey there, I saw this movie in the theatre and I loved it a lot. Even though it was in french i as able to get accustomed to the subtitles. Bt if you mak the dvd is there a way you can dub the voices?? It would be a whole lot easier to watch. I especially went to see it for the large mega wolf and it was awesome. Wolves Rule!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Awesome Movie
Review: I'm really not into the whole Foreign film, but when I saw the preview of this movie I was hooked on seeing this movie. It was a Beautiful movie. The whole story was very good. The Cinematography was very good. This movie was AWESOME!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Action, Mystery, Horror, Historical Context, and French Wit!
Review: Let's face it - since 1999 there haven't been very many good films. 1999 was a banner year with Matrix, Fight Club, American Beauty, etc. Since then we've had Crouching Tiger, Lord of the Rings, but not much else! Thankfully, the quality of this film was recognized and it got released here in the US.

What makes this film stand out is how many layers it has. It's set in an historical context - a period during the Sun King's reign right before "The Terror." The philosophy of the times was changing from romantic and idealistic to the age of reason. The story centers around a true story, that of a strange case of over 50 murders attributed to a super-wolf or werewolf.

The heroes called in to solve the case and stop the murders are a buddy team of a French explorer/soldier and a Native-American. Both know a form of marital arts probably non-existent then, but it makes for great action scenes so I didn't feel like quibbling. Both actors have fantastic charisma and the fight choreography is top-notch.

The subtitles are very easy to read thanks to the many close-ups, and the dialogue is the best kind of French wit. The camera work and cinematography combine to give this film a unique look and feel - gritty, scary, dark, mysterious. Slow motion is used to great effect in combination with John Woo type editing. It's refreshing to see a film based in ancient times that remembers that streets should look muddy, clothes should look worn.

This movie is not for the faint of heart - the moments of horror are scary!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I love this movie!
Review: You know what? I really do not care if this film's director stole this or was inspired by that. I really do not care that they mixed genres here or that it was highly unlikely that a Mohawk Indian would know the martial arts or what inspiration that John Woo had on the film. I really do not care. All I can say is that I loved this film! I am not good at anaylzing films but I thought that this was the most entertaining movie that I had seen in years. The movie grabs you in the first 5 minutes and keeps you guessing and puzzled through to the end. I pity those girls that left the theatre when they saw the movie was in sub-titles. Do not let that fact keep you from seeing this film! This is a highly entertaining movie that only the French could make. They took the american action film and made it more thrilling and more intelligent than Hollywood could ever dream of. This film has it all. Romance, action, horror, sex, politics, religion, martial arts, humor, drama, suspence, good guys, bad guys, beautiful women, manly men, breathtaking scenery, tricky camera shots. What more do you want? See it. Love it. I did.


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