Le Pacte Des Loups [a.k.a. Brotherhood of the Wolf] (2001)
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Some movies are difficult to categorise. In simple cases a movie could be described as an “action movie” or a “comedy movie”, in more difficult cases a movie can contain elements of multiple genres - say an “action comedy”. There are quite a few movies out there that draw from two or more genres but there can be few with as unique a combination as this film, which could only be summarised as a “epic martial arts/period drama/fantasy/monster/action movie; In French”. It’s not a common combination of genres but then, this is no ordinary movie.
The movie is (loosely) based on the true story of the “Beast of Gevaudan”, a monster which terrorised rural France in the 18th Century, allegedly killing hundreds of peasants. In the film, a young nobleman Gregoire De Fronsac (Samuel Le Bihan) is sent by the King to investigate. Gregoire is a believer in the new scientific methods which are being popular but this puts him in conflict with the conservative rural noblemen including the rather nasty Jean‑François de Morangias (Vincent Cassel) who object to his presence, especially after he starts a relationship with Jean-Francois’ sister Marianne (Emilie Dequenne). Fortunately he has help in the form the mysterious Sylvia (Monica Bellucci) and in his native-American manservant Mani (Mark Dacascous) who just happens to be a martial arts expert.
As the (almost 2 and a half hour) long movie progresses Gregoire begins to get closer to the mystery of the Beast and gets further embroiled in the local politics. It is perhaps slightly too long, and the narrative does get a bit confused about 2/3 of the way through where the movie becomes a bit difficult to follow for a while.
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The film is an unusual mix of historical detail (the sets look convincing, and the film reflects on some of the major issues of pre-revolution France) and more far-fetched details more suited to an epic fantasy movie (in particular, the presence of Kung-fu fighting American Indians in a French historical film seems a bit out of place). It’s difficult to take the movie too seriously but the plot is nevertheless intriguing and the action scenes are superbly entertaining.
The directing is brilliantly done, there are some truly breathtaking scenes here, particularly the Beast-eye view rendered in strange ghostly white colours. The action scenes are always exciting, despite their anachronistic feel and the Beast itself is genuinely menacing, even if it is too obviously CGI.
The main character is likeable but he is overshadowed by Mark Dacacous’ American Indian who steals the show and is by far the most interesting character despite having very few lines. Cassel is a convincing villain and the supporting actors are all well-suited to their roles.
In summary, this is a well-acted and original epic film with brilliant direction and cinematography and enough action to entertain even those who wouldn’t normally consider a subtitled film. The only flaw is that parts of the plot are a bit too hard to believe and get a bit confused at times.
Rating : 8½ / 10
All content ©2003 William Marnoch.
Comments? Agree/Disagree with the Reviews? Suggestions? Random Ramblings? Whatever you might want to say, feel free to e-mail me at william@wmarnoch.freeserve.co.uk .