Brotherhood of the Wolf

An amusing hybrid of horror, swordplay, and kung-fu--set in pre-revolutionary France, no less--this lavishly over-produced B-flick takes itself pretty seriously for a movie with pronounced plot holes. But if you don't take it seriously, it can be quite entertaining. Samuel Le Bihan plays the hunky, swashbuckling blond hero (with period-inaccurate, rock star mullet hair) sent by Louis XV to hunt down a giant wolf-like monster that has been haunting a remote village. But he and his blood brother/manservant (Mark Dacascos), a mystical American Indian martial artist (huh?), soon learn there's something sinister going on, leading to lots of slow-motion, rain-drenched chop-socky in three-point hats. Brotherhood of the Wolf makes up for its more laughable elements (which include a band of antagonistic gypsies that could be 18th century ancestors of Road Warrior extras) with its eerie ambience and director Christophe Gans' powers of imagination, fantasy and tension. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD extras include a 40-minute walkthrough of five deleted scenes with subtitled, onscreen introductions by writer-director Christophe Gans (who elaborates on inclusion/exclusion of certain scenes), brief cast and filmmaker bios, and five pages of text production notes. Bottom line: not much in the way of extras for a guilty pleasure foreign action flick.] (R. Blackwelder)[DVD Review—Sept. 2, 2008—Universal, 2 discs, 151 min., in French w/English subtitles, not rated, $19.98—Making its second appearance on DVD, 2001's Brotherhood of the Wolf (Director's Cut) boasts a fine transfer and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. DVD extras include “The Guts of the Beast” behind-the-scenes featurettes (79 min. total), a 78-minute “making-of” documentary, a 40-minute walkthrough of five deleted scenes (with subtitled onscreen introductions by writer-director Christophe Gans, who elaborates on the inclusion or exclusion of certain scenes), 26 minutes of storyboard galleries, and an 18-minute interview with historian Michel Louis on the historical facts behind the legend at the center of the film. Bottom line: an excellent extras package for this slightly retooled version of a film that has developed a small cult following.]