Brotherhood of the Wolf

Rating:
Summary: Artistically Filmed; Murky Multiple Plot Lines
Review: After watching this movie yesterday, I'm still not sure I liked it. While you might worry whether that means the movie is bad, before you jump to conclusions I would read on.

Someone told me before I watched the movie that it was similar in some ways to "The Hound of the Baskervilles". As the end of the movie approached, I agree with that assessment, though I struggled a little with the nature of the beast and exactly how the beast did some of the things that it did.

This story takes place a few decades before the French revolution, which we find out at the end of the movie. The story is about a beast that is ravaging the countryside in France, killing men, women and children indiscriminately, with no apparent pattern. Into this situation come Greg Fronsac, a French scientist, and Mani, supposedly an Iroquois Native American. At this point you could believe we have a straight-forward horror movie in which the mob will eventually surround the creature at the end and someone will utter some classic line like, "...'twas beauty killed the beast." Ah, if only life was that simple.

What happens instead of the nice simple progression of a horror story is a series of events that offer levels of political intrigue, kung-fu (yes, an Iroquois Native American with kung-fu skills) and a variety of sexual activity apparently to make one plot point. While the beast story offers a nice solid plot, the mixture of multiple story lines begins to dilute the story and make matters murkier than the Mississippi River in spring. What starts as a simple horror story digresses further and further into a political story, ending eventually into a struggle of religion and politics involving a French power struggle. There appears to be only one purpose to the sex scenes, though they commanded enough of the film to make me look for more than one purpose, but I was unable to find more than one purpose. Also thrown into the mix is a love story and, near the end, something about the French revolution and the fate of the characters that by this time I found difficulty to care about, because I was too busy trying to sort out the multiple story lines.

Now, while you might think I disliked this movie, here's where my struggle begins. This movie is an art movie; yes, really and truly it is. What that means is we have all these wonderful cinematic shots of scenery and action throughout the movie. Ultimately you realize that the director was trying to achieve art more than he was trying to achieve story. However, you aren't able to figure that out during the course of the movie (at least, I wasn't). I watched all the extras after the movie, and once I realized that the director was trying to create an artistic vision more than a story, suddenly WHY the director did what he did made a lot more sense. It didn't make the movie any more clear, but at least I understood what the director was trying to do.

So, what is my recommendation? Rent the movie first, and watch it as though it was an art movie and take what comes at you. If you are watching this movie for pure entertainment, I suspect you will be disappointed. This movie is the kind of movie that is nominated for awards because it has so many artistic elements, and many people find its entertainment value is much less than the art value. Given that it was an art movie, and given that the director couldn't keep straight whether the movie was focusing on an entertaining story line, or trying to be a sophisticated philosophical movie about religious influence in France, I give this movie only three stars. I would watch the movie again, because when the art was good, it was really good, and I want to try one more time to sort out all the story lines.

Rating:
Summary: A Lavish- Looking, Goofball Horror Epic
Review: This is the type of film I've never seen before now, and hope to never see again. Its an evenly mixed bag of art house style and b-movie camp- a mixture that doesn't work well at all.

First, there's the marshall arts scenes. These fight scenes are so well choreographed that they cease to look like fighting; they look more like choreography, a kind of ballet. The viewer may find himself thinking "Wow! How graceful! How eloquent and moving!" This while two people are trying to beat each other to a pulp.

And then there's the goofy looking monster, which looks like a throwback to the jurassic era. Part porqupine, part rhino, it barely resembles a wolf mutation which it is evidently supposed to be (I think).

The acting and the dialogue are just fine, I guess, but the pacing is painstakingly slow at times, and the plot is just laughable.

The story involves an underground society that controls a mutant werewolf and uses the creature as an assasin for its own purposes. The purpose? The kill off certain persons in high places, as well as some of the peasantry. Ridiculous.

Avoid this bomb at all costs!

Rating:
Summary: Not a great one
Review: My cousin rented this movie thinking that it was about werewolves and well...what a good sleep. What we really enjoyed was the opening and the action sequences, there only few of them but are great; artial marts, vengence, mistery.... I recommend it just to rent.

Rating:
Summary: Too Ridiculous to be so Serious
Review: This is a movie that assaults the viewer with an unending barrage of ridiculous nonsense, and not in a good way. The best way I can describe it is to compare it to another absurd action movie: Big Trouble in Little China. Both movies have secret societies, magic powers, awful dialogue, a preposterous hero who defies death against impossible odds and rescues the fair maiden, and karate fighting. However, Big Trouble in Little China was FUNNY! It never took itself seriously, and therefore the more stupid it got, the funnier it got. Brotherhood tries to subject you to some of the lamest pranks ever pulled on an audience, and does it with a straight face. This results in boredom, and almost complete apathy. An hour and a half into the movie, I was actually rooting for the monster to go ahead and EAT the hero, just so I could get on with my life. Here are some things that bothered me about this movie:

1) The hero is able to slaughter whordes of henchmen with his superior kung fu skills (in pre-revolutionary France, no less) but has a protracted duel-to-the-death with the Big Boss, whose karate is miraculously (nearly) as good as our hero's. They even do that bit where the hero starts to lose, but the villain unwittingly unleashes the hero's TRUE rage by wounding him with the customary slash-across-the-cheek, and the hero dips into an as-of-yet untapped well of kung fu mastery.

2) The good guys have an unlimited quantity and variety of weapons at their disposal, which they all display batman-like proficiency with, while the bad guys are all unbelieveably bad shots.

3) In the movie, firearms appear just when needed (like when the good guys are one-upping themselves in a macho pumpkin-shooting contest) but are miraculously absent at other times; whenever a crowd of bad guys is being pummeled by a protagonist, for example, not one of them ever has a gun. Or, in one particularly nonsensical scene, a crowd of several dozen bad guys have between them only one shot with only one gun, and the owner of this gun decides to challenge himself by firing only during a 20-foot leaping summersault by the hero. The hero proceeds to butcher the lot of them.

You get the idea. These are characteristics you find in many great action movies, such as Big Trouble in Little China and the Lethal Weapon trilogy. But here, it's just not as fun as it usually is. The film asks you to invest in a drama and a love story, but the intermittent wacky kung fu chicanery (and horrible action-movie type dialogue) ruins that. And it's hard to get excited about any action film that's drowning in pre-revolutionary French courtiers.

Instead of being drama infused with action, it is a drama without any HEART, and an action flick robbed of any FUN. If you want fun action, see Raiders of the Lost Ark, Bad Boys, Die Hard, or, of course, Big Trouble in Little China. If you want period piece drama, see Dangerous Liasons, Quills, or Emma. And, if you insist on having both, see Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Just don't see this.

Rating:
Summary: Spellbinding Thriller
Review: The first 60 seconds of this film sets you on edge of your seat. The first 60 seconds shows you some excellent hand-to-hand combat by Marc DeCascus shows us why the action sequences are compared to the Matrix.

There is a Beast (which is not seen until close to the end) loose in the countryside of 18th century France, methodically killing peasant after peasant in a most terrible manner. It's actions have evaded the local French Guard, and the King sends his Royal Naturalist Gregoire De Fronsac (Samuel Le Bihou), and his partner, Mani (Marc DeCascus) a native american, and the last of his tribe, to get to the bottom of the mystery. Of course, Mani, is in touch with much more than we mere mortals care to see.

The investigation goes slowly, as it is entertwined with the `polite' protocals of the day, and nearly blocked by a military movement to rid the country of religious influence in politics that brushes against the region involved. Yet throughout, there are eye-opening scenes of violence inbued with mysticism. (In one flashback, the victim is amid a snow flurry, and each fake `shimmers' to show the supernatural is involved)

The `horror' theme is superbly entwined in the overlaying polical intrigue. Political manuevering block Fronsac's investigations. Persons of small power see the horror as a way to advance their careers. But Fronsac the Scholar and Mani do discover the reality of the Beast in spite of the issues. About 2/3rd's through the film, we are rewarded with a fantastic confrontation with the Beast (I near messed myself. There is no Hound of The Baskervilles here...) AND we see a glimpse that the Beast is not truly wild. The Beast itself is controlled (This is a nice simile on the political mores of the time). Mani's last scenes are at first fantastic martial arts, and then slow-mo heartrending sadness. The final scenes of revenge are realistic in their violence, yet maintained their mystic atmosphere. And the scenes of the Beast scared the beejeezus out of me!

In the end...as today...it is all politics. But there is so much of the supernatural in this film that goes beyond the mere politics. And the final fight scene will slay you. The ending will give you empathy.

The cinematography in this film is truly perfect. The countryside is dark, almost black and white, which enhances the violence of the Beast's attacks. Orange and reds from fires and candles are brilliant in the reality scenes. AND for those of you not fettered by the constraints of Puritanism, this IS a French film. The bordello does exhibit nudity (Get over it...).

The soundtrack, while eatherial, accents very spairingly. It allows the camera to create the mood. There is no Hollywood here. The scenes and characters are as real as can be. The costuming is perfect to the period, and the peasants are dressed in filth.

If you rent this film, you will own it. I do not rate poor films. And this is NOT a poor film. This film will engross you.

Rating:
Summary: One Pretty Package ... With Questionable Contents
Review: There are no bones about it: BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF is sumptuously photographed, with exotic locations, larger than life charcters, and edge-of-your-seat kung fu choreography. Past that, the coherence of the plot provides for slim pickings.

The film strives to be too many things when it should've focused on one thing: a period horror piece. Instead, BROTHERHOOD tries to explore the sociopolitical climate of 18th century France, the fascination surrounding conspiracies and secret societies, and even a classically-structured romance where THE WEREWOLF MEETS ROMEO & JULIET. However, when the picture is slimmed down to its basic horror elements, it works just fine.

Based on a French legend, the story involves perhaps France's first CSI (Crime Scene Investigator), his mystical American Indian sidekick, and one big, hungry critter from the depths of darkest Africa (don't ask how it got to France!).

By the time the film closes, the viewer knows two things for certain: (1) 18th century Frenchmen and women knew more than a casual move of kung fu; and (2) Monica Bellucci -- playing the madame of a French bordello -- is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful women to grace the silver screen today.

Rating:
Summary: UGH! The Wolf That Ate Little Red Riding Hood
Review: Friends, enemies, I implore you, buy other DVDs from Amazon.com, not this one! I was anticipating something really good,and was massively disappointed. It starts out with a gruesome and mysterious atmospheric theme, really pretty well done, and digresses from there....the whole thing falls apart, a downward cascade. I usually can finish a movie,but, this one, folks, I am a very peaceful woman- I kept wanting to throw heavy objects, or a good Kung Poop kick, at my TV! And as a Native American, I was truly offended by the Iroquois sidekick characterization, truly poorly imagined and unbelievably stereotyped-one of the ways that Racism continues to rear its ugly head. And when I watched the addded DVD features with the insipid director talking about his "great movie" I understood better the schlockyness. I love French foreign adventure movies, but, this is no Cannes film classic. Director Gans speaks continually of all these sendups he is doing to classic films, within this movie, and speaks as though he has created a special and soon to be immortal image here... too bad, they started with a great idea, and a great movie beginning, and it was all downhill from there( like the ravaged maiden's body off the rocky cliffs I guess). Save your cash.

Rating:
Summary: Superior Filmmaking
Review: Before reading any further, true movie buffs and DVD collectors should seek out the 3-disc set that was released in Canada (and other areas outside the U.S., but Canada is Region 1). The behind-the-scenes documentaries on the Canadian/French set are among the best, most candid I've ever seen. All of the docs are sub-titled,(and a good part of the documentaries are actually in English since much of the cast and crew speak the language anyway). The only drawback for those of us who are French-challenged is that the audio commentaries on the feature are not provided in English. Too bad.

With that out of the way, "Brotherhood of the Wolf" is a glorious combination of the best elements of Hammer horror style, historical costume drama, Hong Kong kung-fu flicks, and even American westerns. It sounds like a mess, but if that's the case, it is indeed a marvelous mess. If you like your movies to cleave to a single genre and be done with it, this film isn't for you.

Christophe Gans' direction is supurb and the acting is top notch. From the opening confrontation in a pouring rain, you can feel that this is something special. The film has it's weak spots, and the ending is a little "nice", but the overwhelming bulk of the film is a treat for the eyes. A thinking man's monster movie. A monster movie fan's historical drama. No matter how you classify it (if you can), "Brotherhood of the Wolf" is superior filmmaking and worthy of your attention.

Rating:
Summary: sorta silly
Review: You thought the French only made films of grace, intellect, depth and innovation? Think again. This one proves that the French can make a Hollywood no-brainer just as well as Americans can. Not to say that it isn't mildly entertaining. The action sequences are fun, if overdone. The costumes are fun and the CGI is a bit silly. The whole film is just a bit silly--Sleepy Hollow+the Lone Ranger+Gladiator+Braveheart+Dangerous Liasons+Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon=Brotherhood of the Wolf. Not bad. Not good. If you need a popcorn movie, check it out.

Rating:
Summary: Unique
Review: The online movie reviews are what first attracted me to this film. They're still accessible. It certainly was worth the wait for "Brotherhood..." to open in only three distant theaters in my area last January. Have been waiting for the DVD ever since. My only quibble with the US DVD, aside from fewer extra features, is the abandonment of the original eerie poster art with the hatted Chevalier and faithful companion Mani for dumbed down cover art (yes, there is shooting; yes, there is chop-socky) apparently made only for les Americains. And thanks, Tampa Tribune, for sending me the DVD as my contest prize!