Movie Melting Pot…’Brotherhood of the Wolf’ (France, 2001)

Okay, let’s take a Merchant Ivory, costume drama set in 18th century France.   Now, let’s take a giant creature, a big wolf or something, and have it being ripping the people in the film apart limb from limb.   Not enough for you?   Okay, let’s season in some hardcore martial arts action and really kick this film into high gear.   How does that hodgepodge set with you?   With ‘Brotherhood of the Wolf’, director Christopher Gans shows us what a film like that would look like.

Based on actual events that occurred in the former province of Gevaudan in south-central France, ‘Brotherhood of the Wolf’ takes palce during the reign of King Louis XV.   A mysterious beast, rumored to be the devil, has been terrorizing the region killing women and children.   Accompanied by his Native American friend, the Chevalier de Fronsac is dispatched to the region by the Royal Court to uncover the truth behind the mysterious killings.   The two are met with hostility by the local authorities, and what transpires is both horrifying and remarkable.

The Beast of Gevaudan is a French myth that dates back over 300 years.   Between 1764 and 1767, one or more strange beasts actually killed 113 people and injured another 49.   Many wolves were killed during this period, but the attacks continued.   What the Beast of Gevaudan actually was remains a mystery, but theories range from werewolves to punishment by God, himself.

Gans’ film takes this myth and builds and builds upon it.   He wraps a conspiracy-laden story around the attacks and give them an explanation.   By the end of the film, we know what the beast is, and it’s an explanation that is both surprising and entirely plausible.   The film takes many creative liberties with the myth making the film all the more entertaining.

‘Brotherhood of the Wolf’ got its initial release in France on January 31, 2001.   It became a worldwide success, and, over the course of the next year and a half, got theatrical releases in more than 40 countries.   It made over $70 million worldwide, $11.2 million coming from the US alone.   Its production budget was an estimated $29 million, so the provit the film pulled was impressive.

The film was also met with much critical praise.   On Rotten Tomateos, the film garnered a 72% fresh rating from 29 reviews (21 good, 8 bad).   Most of the criticism for the film was aimed at how cluttered and chaotic the story gets.   Many of the critics who even approved of the film had this issue with it, but they were able to look past that.   Terry Lawson, the film critic for The Detroit Free Press, put it best when he referred to the film as “ridiculously entertaining”.   Roger Ebert said the film “plays like an explosion at the genre factory”, but he gave it a positive review.   Kenneth Turan called the film “the cinematic equivalent of fusion cuisine”, but he, too, praised the film for how much fun it is.

The film was a hit at the 2002 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films.   Although it didn’t go home with any Saturn Awards, it was nominated for eight including Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film, Best Special Effect, Best Writing, and Best Director.

‘Brotherhood of the Wolf’ would work just fine as a werewolf movie set in 18th century France.   What Gans does with this story, and how insane the film gets, is what makes this a favorite among movie geeks.   The horror, the carnage, and, yes, the incredible martial arts by fight choreographer, Philip Kwok (‘Hard-Boiled’, ‘The Bride with White Hair’) make ‘Brotherhood of the Wolf’ a geek-fest to end all geek-fests.

If you haven’t seen ‘Brotherhood of the Wolf’, do yourself a favor.   Rent it from Netflix, pop it in in on a rainy Saturday evening, and enjoy the hell out of this film.   You won’t be disappointed.