Written by Linda
January 02, 2009
Brotherhood of the Wolf has to have one of the most stupendously sexy casts I've ever seen. It doesn't hurt that they are all bedecked in the sumptious wear of an 18th century French costume drama, but they are just as likely to be disrobed and lounging in a 4-poster bed, or painted with tribal warpaint (hoo-rah!). The men are steely-eyed, long-haired, and are kick-ass fighters. The women have flawless skin, gorgeous outfits, and wicked intelligence sparkling in their eyes. And none of them are Catherine Deneuve or Gerard Depardieu! (Not that there is anything wrong with the Queen and King of French Cinema, but it sure is nice to see some fresh French acting blood.)
But don't get me wrong... though Brotherhood has the look of a historical Revolutionary epic, this movie is a whole different beast entirely (quite literally). You may say that this is a horror-action-martial-arts-romance-thriller-comedy extravaganza. Got that?
After an extremely gory opening sequence that mirrors the opening scene of Jaws (but on land), we meet our heroes in one of the rainiest, muddiest, coolest martial-arts-inspired fight scenes this side of Xena: Warrior Princess (but with plenty o' blood, mind you). Grégoire de Fronsac (Samuel Le Bihan), the King's taxidermist (you read that right), and his sidekick Mani (Mark Dacascos), a French-Canadian Iroquois Indian, show up in a district that has been ravaged for years by a mysterious and powerful beast that is rumored to be some sort of wolf. The locals sure need some help to find the nasty monster, and it sure would be quite a trophy to have the bugger stuffed and displayed in the royal residence.
But if monsters were easy to find and kill, well, we'd have no movie, now would we?
Round out the cast of characters with a bunch of hotties—including the royal kids Jean-François (deliciously shifty Vincent Cassel) and Marianne de Morangias (Kate Winslet-esque Émilie Dequenne), a seductive prostitute who is strangely sinister (gorgeous Monica Bellucci), and a young Marquis who is eager to help the heroes (Criminal Lovers' Jérémie Rénier)—and keep the killing pace brisk and the action non-stop, and you've got a fun popcorn flick that is eye-candy to the max.
Though Brotherhood of the Wolf is in some sore need of editing (it goes on about half an hour too long), suffers from a few ridiculous leaps in plot credibility (well, compared to the rest of the story, at least), and has an obvious CGI-animated beast that makes you wish the monster stayed in the shadows, it still is loads of fun. The costumes and set designs are fantastic. The horror is appropriately icky, but it is balanced with a knowing humor that never submits to the irony that plagues American horror flicks these days. The action scenes use the editing/filming style made popular by Gladiator (slow motion + speed up + freeze frame) which seems fresh as opposed to simply borrowed. And the fight scenes? Choreographed by Philip Kwok (who also worked on John Woo's Hard-Boiled), the fights are simultaneously thrilling and super-cool looking.
So crank up the sound, grab some snacks, and wear a bib for the drool-worthy cast—Brotherhood of the Wolf is a kick-ass wild ride at the movies.
