The Popkorn Junkie :: Brotherhood of the Wolf

The truth is that was don't get many good werewolf films anymore. "The Howling" was a pure classic, and "Wolf" was the last decent werewolf movie Hollywood has churned out lately, and "Wolf" was made in 1994--that's one hell of a long time. And, being that horror is my favorite genre of film, I was more than happy to learn that a new and supposedly quite frightening horror film was being released, this surprise coming in the form of "Brotherhood of the Wolf", a French horror film with English subtitles and one hell of an interesting plotline.

Based on a true story, the film tells the story of the Beast of Gevaudan. In 1764, the Beast was responsible for the deaths of over 60 women and children, viciously killing them and tearing out their hearts and vitals. Director Christophe Gans suggests, as many others have, that the Beast was actually a werewolf. Samuel Le Bihan is Fronsac, a brilliant naturalist who comes to research the Beast and possibly end it's rampage. Assisted by martial arts expert Mani (played by Mark Dacascos), the two look to unravel the mystery behind the beast. They are aided in their quest by many people, including Marianne (who fancies one of the searchers), and Jean-Francois (Vincent Casell), who has one arm and is able to use a rifle that is braced underneath his arm.

In many ways this film seemed like a better version of "The Ghost and the Darkness". If you remember, "The Ghost and the Darkness" starred Val Kilmer and Michael Douglas as two men tracking down a couple of very dangerous lions. That film could have been much better--it could have been "Brotherhood of the Wolf". Director Christophe Gans has such an eye for detail, and especially an eye for cinematography because this is one of the most beautifully shot films of the year and one of the eeriest looking horror films in a while, the exception being "From Hell". The plotline is extremely interesting and I found myself researching the internet later on to investigate the Beast of Gevaudan even further.

The performances in this film are fine, but the star of the film is the Beast. The Jim Henson Creature Effects Shop designed the Beast and did a fantastic job. A couple of highlights come from Le Bihan as the intellectual Fronsac, and--even though he made a name for himself as a B-movie martial arts fighter--Mark Dacascos as Mani. The ending of this film is completely unexpected and completely extraordinary--one of the best endings to come from any film this year. I am almost certain this film should be nominated for two Oscars: (1) Best Cinematography and (2) Best Make-Up Design, though I doubt it will win either. I fully endorse this film and suggest than anyone looking for a good fright go to see it--you can manage to sit through 146 minutes of subtitles I'm sure--and this keeps your attention a little better than "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". SIDENOTE: It is also possible that this film could be nominated for Best Foreign Film though, with movies like "Amelie" out there, I doubt it will win. Everyone out there go and see this film so the Academy might possibly pay it a little more well-deserved attention.

-- Billy Ray ( 4 out of 4 pops )

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Other Junkie's opinions.....

James ( 3 1/2 out of 4 pops )

This is surely to be one of the best films of the year, unless it counts as one of last years films, then it's one of the best films of 2001. The one thing I didn't like was that they decided to show the beast. I enjoyed the first part much more because the beast was an unknown. They never needed to show the beast on screen. The people being torn to shreds is enough. The cinematography is fantastic! I love the opening sequence of shots. It's stunningly beautiful. This movie is not for kids though. Don't think it's just an action movie. It's more than that. It's extremely violent. It's like an amalgam of every single type of action movie. You've got swordplay, werewolves, martial arts, gun fights, knife throwing, you name it, it's here. It's very violent and graphic. There's some nudity and sex but that alone is no reason to prevent kids from watching it, however, the violence is. This should be rated NC-17 for the violence.