Review of "Brotherhood of the Wolf" (2001) (DVD)

"Like a lion I will devour your children and tear out their entrails."

I am very much in awe of this movie. "Brotherhood of the Wolf" encompasses every genre of film; martial arts, action, romance, thriller, horror, drama, everything. Keeping with the spirit of all these genres, it evokes many emotions from the viewer. A beast is terrorizing the countryside of Gevaudan and the villagers believe no man or bullet can put it down. Enter the ultimate Jack of all Trades, Grégoire de Fronsac (Samuel Le Bihan), and his brother-in-arms, Mani (Mark Dacascos), who have come to town to stop/capture this menacing beast.

The story starts there and has so many twists and turns it could make your head spin. The cast is incredible. I have no idea who this Samuel Le Bihan guy is, but he absolutely rocks it as Fronsac. This also has potential to be a breakout role for Mark Dacascos but we'll have to wait and see on that one. Even if he doesn't make it beyond the B action flick, Mani will always be an unforgettable character. And Vincent Cassel is incredibly suave and creepy at the same time.

"Brotherhood" is an absolutely beautiful example of what film can look like. The cinematography combined with the editing makes for some truly fantastic scenes. Let's not forget the fight choreography. There are some tremendous fight sequences that rival those from Hong Kong cinema.

Some movies become great because they have that one moment that will forever live on in your memory; Moments that are undoubtedly awesome. Brotherhood of the Wolf is simply just one big moment. Other than the films by Luc Besson, I've never really been a follower of French cinema. But with the coming of this movie and the equally dark and beautiful Crimson Rivers I could get into it. Christophe Gans has proved that he is a director to watch for.

The DVD contains trailers, production notes, and deleted scenes. You can watch the film either with subtitles or cop out with the dubbed version. I prefer subtitles because, other than obvious reasons, it keeps the original dialogue intact. Brotherhood of the Wolf is recommended for all lovers of good cinema.