Dir: Christophe Gans
Cast: Samuel Le Bihan, Vincent Cassel, Mark Dacascos,
Emilie Dequenne, Monica Bellucci, Jeremie Renier
Rated R, Approx: 142 minutes
A Universal Pictures/Focus Films Release/DVD
Genres Makes this French
Import an Absolute Must
See...
France, it was a relief when Universal Focus picked up Brotherhood
of the Wolf (aka Le Pacte Des Loups) for a US release and after
seeing it, I can understand why its caused so much noise there. It
has to be one of the most appetizing and unique mix of genres I've
seen, using elements of horror, kung fu, romance, conspiracy,
drama, fantasy and tongue-in-cheek humor. Writer/director
Christophe Gans, along with co-writer Stephane Cabel, manages to
make this stuff work superbly and I won't be surprised if this film
becomes a cult classic with audiences for years to come.
Mani (Mark Dacascos), are both sent out by the King to track down a beast that has been viciously attacking people
in a village. When they arrive, despite a few conflicts with some townspeople, but acquit themselves in with the
wealthy Marquis and his family. With the help of Marquis' grandson (Jeremie Renier), the men gather up together to
hunt down the beast, only to discover more mysterious secrets about the village and find the obstacles even harder
than they had planned when more attacks start occuring.
you might expect. It tended to get a little overloaded at times on twists in the second part, but the material still comes
off plausible enough and I'm sure it'll hold up even better when seen on multiple viewings. I'll admit that I did get a
little distracted with some of the eye candy and scenery that I didn't always follow up to the subtitles at times.
presences in the lead roles, who both work off of each other perfectly. Despite little dialogue, Dacascos has plenty to
work with in the part of Mani, giving him a charismatic persona and steals the show whenever he's around. Vincent
Cassel, last seen in Crimson Rivers, is a delight to watch, hamming it up as Marquis' snob of a son. Monica Bellucci
and Emilie Dequenne are both beautiful and show real talent in the parts of a mysterious prostitute and Gregoire's
love interest. Bellucci has incredible sex appeal and one love scene between her and Le Bihan is possibly the hottest
I've seen since Basic Instinct. This moment also leads to a killer screen transition that changes Belluccis nude body
into the form of snowy hills. Fans of the Italian horror film Dellamorte, Dellamore (aka Cemetery Man) should be
glad to see Francois Hadji-Lazaro around, who played Dellamortes sidekick Gnaghi, in a brief part as an assistant to
Bellucci.
The various locales and settings of this
film look authentic, backed up with Gans
breathtaking use of the camera. The fight
scenes are expertly choreographed and
the moments involving the beast are
chilling, which echoes a little bit of "Jaws."
Jim Henson's Creature Workshop did yet
another fantastic job with their designs on
the beast, which is awfully menacing in the
screentime it has.
Despite a few subplots that seemed a little
underdeveloped in there, I had a blast
with this film nonetheless. Its sleek,
escapist entertainment with great looking
cinematography and charm, along with
plenty of nail-grinding moments. I don't
think I'll see anything this year as
refreshingly original as this film. I was glad
to see this film getting a wider release
from Universal and if it comes out in your
area, its one you'll want to see on the big
screen.
* * * * 1/2 out of 5
Reviewed by Adam Eshack 2/8/02
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