Brotherhood of the Wolf - R\nStarring: Samuel Le Bihan, Mark Dacascos\nDirected by: Christophe Gans\nShowing: Showplace East 11\n"Brotherhood of the Wolf" is an inspired and wondrously over-the-top French import that expertly melds highly stylized kung fu, monster movie clichés and lavish period drama. Wrought with bone-crunching fisticuffs, scantily clad prostitutes and garish mauling via a hell-bent wolf, the film appeals to the 14-year-old boy that resides inside each of us.\nChristophe Gans' film is very loosely based upon the mythos surrounding the Beast of Gévaudan, which purports that a "beast" preyed upon villagers in the southwestern mountains of France during the reign of Louis XV. Under these pretenses naturalist Grégoire de Fronsac (Samuel Le Bihan) and his Native American counterpart Mani (Mark Dacascos) are summoned to Gévaudan in hopes of vanquishing/studying the murderous creature.\n"Brotherhood" could best be described as an anime-fueled incarnation of Michael Mann's "The Last of the Mohicans." The movie is absolutely ridiculous (going so far as to transition between a woman's bare breast and a snowy mountaintop… subtle, huh?) and entirely derivative, but in a good way. Filmgoers will easily spot essences of "Sleepy Hollow," "Predator," "From Hell," "Jaws" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" throughout. Gans is the French fantasy equivalent of Tarantino. He takes beloved elements from other filmmakers' works and incorporates them into his own to winning effort. "Brotherhood of the Wolf" is a pop-culture fetishists' wet dream.\nLe Bihan and Dacascos acquaint themselves quite nicely in their respective roles. And more importantly, they are more than adept during fight sequences in which they brandish tomahawks and machetes while roundhouse kicking and uppercutting onslaughts of uncouth Frenchman in the chops.\n"Brotherhood," despite being one hell of a good time, is not without its faults. Clocking in at 142 minutes, the film is simply too long. Shaving 10 minutes off this excessive runtime would speed things up considerably. Also, the character of Mani is occasionally reduced to a mere stereotype in his prototypically stoic silence. In all honesty, I eagerly anticipated the moment in which an aristocratic wiener would hurl refuse from his carriage spawning a single tear from Mani's eye.\nDespite these minor complaints I'd highly recommend those of you with a strong stomach and a penchant for harnessing your inner 14-year-old see "Brotherhood of the Wolf." Besides, the flick boasts more bare breasts and brawls than your run-of-the-mill frat party, and if that isn't a recommendation what is?\n
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