Brotherhood of the Wolf

Greetings, Brotherhood of the Wolf is a French film that was released in 2001 and was directed by Christophe Gans. Most of the stars would be relatively unknown to English speaking audiences due to the cast consisting of French or central European actors and actresses. The most recognisable celebrity would be Italian actress and model Monica Bellucci who plays the character of Sylvia, a courtesan from Italy working in a local French brothel. Bellucci would best be known for her role as Persephone in the Matrix franchise as well as playing Lucia Sciarra in Spectre. Her involvement in the latest 007 film made her the oldest Bond girl in the history of the series. Other performers in Brotherhood of the Wolf include Samuel Le Bihan, Mark Dacascos, Vincent Cassel and Emilie Dequenne. While the film is fictional it was inspired by events that occurred in the former province of Gevaudan. It is based on a mythical beast that was born from the local French population’s hysteria during 1764 and 1767 due to a series of violent deaths in the region. In reality, the savage attacks were likely to be an increase in wolf attacks on vulnerable humans.

The story begins in Gevaudan in 1764 where the protagonist, a man called Gregoire de Fronsac, has been sent by French monarch Louis XV to capture or kill the beast that has been terrorizing the local population. Gregoire is joined in the hunt by his friend named Mani, a Native American who is skilled at combat and hunting. Fronsac, a knight and royal naturalist for the king, is sceptical about the existence of the creature. His scepticism is fuelled when he talks to survivors and finds out that the monster would be bigger than any wolf he had ever come across. A large scale hunting force is formed to cull local wolves in the process of finding and killing the beast. Fronsac and Mani were a part of the aforementioned unit. They were also accompanied by Jean-Francois de Morangias, the son of a local count and a hunter who had put his skills to use in Africa until his arm was devoured by a lion.

The cull appears to have been a failure as other victims of the predator are discovered after the hunt had been called to a halt. Gregoire’s doubts increase about the creature’s existence when he finds another victim of the supposed supernatural predator and discovers that one of the beast’s fangs is made of iron. At this point Fronsac theorizes that there are more rational explanations than a paranormal creature roaming the land and comes closer to understanding the nature of the beast. Additionally, the failure to capture the animal has caused a book named L’Edifiante or the Edifying in English to start making its way around France. The books claim that God had sent the beast to torment the French population as Louis XV had been embracing science over Christianity.

The film is an enjoyable mix of genres with a colourful and unique style even if the characterization wasn’t of the highest quality. The music was composed by Joseph LoDuca, who is perhaps best known for his work in the Evil Dead series. While Brotherhood of the Wolf does has its flaws, it is a movie that I would call an entertaining watch. In other news, my latest entry and sequel to Cogworld has now been published on Write Wise. I hope you like reading Cogworld: Tales of Peter Jepson as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Plot=8/10

Characters=6/10

Special Effects=7/10

Overall=7/10

Quote of the Day

Hey guys, you ever see that really old movie "The Empire Strikes Back"?

Spider-Man

Captain America: Civil War