If there is one thing that is completely certain about the French film "Brotherhood of the Wolf," it is that one cannot call it simple or bland. In fact, the movie seems to have the intention of encapsulating as many disparate cinematic elements, themes and genres into one work as possible.
This technique proves to be both a positive as well as a negative, while the movie may lack a streamlined plot and central thematic focus, it is a generally fun movie to watch.
The film is set in 18th-century France, where a mysterious beast is terrorizing the inhabitants of the area by killing dozens of unsuspecting people in a particularly brutal manner. Our protagonist, Gregoire de Fronsac (Samuel Le Bihan) arrives on the scene as a naturalist dispatched to investigate and assess the nature of the beast. Fronsac is assisted by an Indian named Mani (Mark Dacascos), who boasts some amazing fighting skills to go along with his intimate knowledge of the natural environment.
While still striving to learn more about the beast, Fronsac falls in love with Marianne de Morangias (Emilie Dequenne) while establishing an icy relationship with her brother, Jean-Francois (Vincent Cassel), who lost an arm in a prior confrontation with the beast.
The early sections are buoyed by the solid performances of such vibrant, youthful characters as Fronsac, Marianne, Jean-Francois and Marquis D'Apcher (Hans Meyer). Their interplay with some of the elder, more stolid characters provides some good character development in the initial stages of the film.
The French dialogue -- paired with English subtitles in this American version -- is typically delivered with fervor and enthusiasm, and this serves as a constant reminder of the tense mood of the film.
The plot hits the skids slightly around the halfway point, but with a quick glance of a strangely formed hand and the subsequent revelation about the beast's origins, the movie gets its second wind.
The ending effectively overshadows much of the prior action, which is both good and bad. The conclusion is intriguing, exciting and thought provoking, as well as strange. Nonetheless, the climax is evident and undeniably revelatory and powerful, and the subsequent action sequence winds the film down to a relatively clean finish.
Much of the film takes place in the out-of-doors, and the use of the French countryside is excellent. Whether the setting happens to be a gently flowing stream, a luxurious palace garden, or a blinding snowstorm, the environment does a nice job of accentuating tone throughout.
Also noteworthy is the style in which the movie is shot. At times, everything is in slow motion, only to go through a series of freeze-frame shots, or sometimes the slow motion is interspersed with sped-up shots. This range of camerawork is generally effective and adds to the film's artistic value.
The jarring, pounding sounds combined with the camerawork and rather frank view of violence -- as effectively accentuated in an early scene of a woman's brutal death by an unseen murderer -- make for a captivating and intense tone for much of the film. Later examples of unabashed bloodshed and carnage continue to raise the intensity of the movie, most predominantly in the film's climax.
For a movie based so heavily upon a mythical tale of a rampant monstrous killing machine, "Brotherhood" sometimes falls into the trap of taking itself too seriously. One can't help but cringe ever so slightly when the gallant beast-hunters prepare by firing their weapons at an innocent lineup of pumpkins.
The overarching issue, however, with this movie is its unfortunate overzealous attitude. The filmmakers seemingly couldn't decide whether to make a horror flick, a romantic drama, a martial arts film or a period piece s on 18th-century France. So, instead, they just elected to combine all these genres into one big scattershot blend.
The acting, plot, character development and electrifying action sequences do capably manage to keep the film afloat, despite its structural and thematic deficiencies. Above all, "Brotherhood of the Wolf" is a generally entertaining film worth at least a viewing.
