Brotherhood of the Wolf

Rating:
Summary: One Of The Best Films Of 2001
Review: I wasn't sure what to expect from "Brother Hood Of The Wolf". At first glance, it seems like a Werewolf story. But it's not. It's part thriller, part drama, part action, part romance and even part horror. The opening of the film is great. Two mysterious men intervene in what appears to be the ravaging of two innocent gypsies. The men quickly face down the attackers and send them packing. It's from here on out that Christophe Gans shows us that this movie has somewhat of a fantasy like quality to it. We quickly follow these two men, Gregoire (Samuel Le Bihan) and Mani (Mark Dacascos) deep into a mystery involving violent deaths at the hands of a "beast". Religion vs Science vs Enviornmentalism vs Myth all play an important roll in how each of the main characters view the impending situation. I really enjoyed the performances by Emilie Dequenne and Mark Decascos. The film is very easy to understand and follow even if you don't speak French. I highly recommend this film to anyone who likes a good mystery or an epic adventure set in the history of France.

Rating:
Summary: Good movie
Review: All around good movie. The title led me to believe something that had to do with Werewolves or something like that, but it was far from a disappointment. The movie is best when watched/listened in its original French language with English subtitles. English dubbing just don't sound right.

Rating:
Summary: Your wh_res are quit delicate!
Review: In 18th century France, the Chevalier de Fronsac and his Native American friend Mani are sent by the King to the Gevaudan province to investigate the killings of hundreds by a mysterious beast.

Christopher Gans directs this masterpiece. Gans is more known as an independent filmmaker, not exactly for his work in this genre. He was asked to work on this project, and I am very glad he chose to, as Brotherhood of the Wolf quickly became one of my all time favorite movies.

Brotherhood of the Wolf is impossible to place in a genre in my opinion. Yes it has horror aspects, but is definitely not a horror movie. There is a lot of action and Martial Arts in this movie, but it is far from a Martial Arts or action film. There is a love story, with a man torn between two women, but again, this is not a love story.

Samuel Le Bihan plays Grégoire de Fronsac, and he is marvelous in this role. He does not star in any movies that have made the main stream here in the United States, but he has made multiple movies in France, and is a well-known actor there (from what I've read). Mark Dacascos (Cradle to the Grave, The Island of Dr. Moreau) plays the Native American Mani. Dacascos is actually Hawaiian, and is known for his martial arts, staring in the movie American Samurai, and Kick boxer 5. His action sequences in this movie were splendid.

Émilie Dequenne plays Marianne de Morangias, and her character, at least facial feature wise, reminded me a lot of Christina Applegate; maybe it was just me. She also is more known in for her work in France. Monica Bellucci (41), who also starred in Matrix Reloaded, The Passion of the Christ, and Tears of the Sun, plays Sylvia, the dark mistress. She was also utilized to perfection in this movie, and her performance was stunning.

Brotherhood of the Wolf is honestly one of my favorite all time movies, and belongs in a category all in its own. It has everything you could ask for in a movie, and in my opinion belongs in your DVD collection. At least give this movie a good rent, as it belongs in the 5 star class of films.

Grade: A+


Rating:
Summary: Interesting
Review: This movie is a feast of visual pleasures.
There is so much going on,
it leaves one with little time to be bored.
Lavish costumes, OUTSTANDING martials arts (without
too much of the unbelievable Crouching Tiger effects),
and stylish period art direction. Also plenty of flesh
to satisfy both genders.
However, the film is way too long in my opinion; but I
actually enjoyed the story. I'm thrilled to see that
a director is brave enough to defiantly expose
the fact that throughout history the Church/Government/Royalty
have been deceiving people and spinning situations to their
own ends. Even to this day we are still subscribing to and reaping
the effects of much of the garbage that European (and other) authorities have handed down to us.

Without preaching further about social shafting,
I'll simply recommend this movie because I enjoyed the
message and I always love to see someone fighting the
system (RIGHT ON!!! hehehhehehe)

So grab this movie, but make sure you have some time on your hands, because you'll definitely be in for a lengthy ride;
But an enjoyable ride, for sure.


Rating:
Summary: Boring and Predictable
Review: This movie ultimately fails because there is not enough interest in anything which we see. Everything is constructed in ahistorical ways, take for example the whore house, it looks like a clean, luxurious house where they drink wine all day. Not only are the Indians portrayed in a negative light but the action scenes are so inept that one wonders what they were doing. This is not appealing to anyone other than high school midgets.



Rating:
Summary: The Nature of the Beast
Review: I'll say this much about "The Brotherhood of the Wolf"; it is a unique cinematic experience. Essentially, the story is about a beast that is ravaging a French province. The king sends one of his troubleshooters along with his Iroquois sidekick to help out in the effort to fell the beast. We do see the physical manifestation of the beast. Ah, but the beast is also a metaphor. A metaphor of what you say? That is dependent on your knowledge of French history. If you don't want to get bogged down in the metaphysical aspects of the film there's alot of eye-popping action and martial arts and cool camerawork and editing. The film has antecedents in other genres but it molds into an experience unlike any other. I'm not going to say I was completely floored by this film but it was interesting.

Rating:
Summary: Lots of Fun
Review: I really loved this film. The style and cinematography are gorgeous, the acting is enigmatic and engaging, and the combat. Seriously. Kicks. Ass. A few people have complained of the plot and the omnipresent philosophising about people, animals, good and evil, etc. but these elements are not crucial to one's enjoyment of the film.
This is a movie to watch and have a great time with. I recommend it for anyone who appreciates kung fu or costume drama.

Rating:
Summary: Great Movie
Review: Beautiful to look at. This is an awesome movie that has a little of everything. If you enjoy martial arts films, monster movies and period piece films, this is for you. The set designs, costumes, and cinematography is absolutely breathtaking.
Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Taxidermy and Kung Fu
Review: This is a pre-French Revolution conspiracy theory movie. The French aristocracy was undermining the political control of Louis XV, who had inherited enormous debts from the illustrious Louis XIV. There were consipiracies to discredit the French crown that included blaming him for not protecting his people from monsters. This movie takes that premise to a fanciful level and has the king's men looking for a monstrous wolf terrorizing the Gevaudan countryside. It throws in gypsies (sorry, NO werewolves), slimy peasant minions, aristocratic conspirators, an expensive Italian prostitute and a French naturalist with his Native American sidekick (literally) who both know Asian martial arts. Improbable as the movie sounds, it actually manages a fun level of excitingly choreographed combat scenes with the right amount of sex, intrigue and romance. Woohoo!Two thumbs up for this visually captivating, candle-lit semi-historical and occasionally bawdy couple of hours of entertainment.

Rating:
Summary: a visual gem
Review: This French movie is one of the most beautifully filmed I've ever seen. There is an artistic attention to detail evident throughout in the composition, viewpoint, setting of every scene--something sorely lacking in movies these days. Though the violent parts are incredibly graphic (the intro will make you cringe) they are tastefully executed without the bore of excessive goriness, the martial-arts style fight scenes are well-choreographed (no "cut and paste" crap where you can't tell what's going on), the music is hauntingly beautiful, and the English voice-overs so well done the dubbing was hardly noticeable. The creature itself does stretch the imagination a bit but even so, the CG effects integrated surprisingly well. The story has a lovely fairy tale quality, paced in classicly aristocratic fashion to give the audience opportunity to really appreciate the subtle visual artistry (which in my opinion surpasses Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and without the impossible action that removed that film from the realm of believable).