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One of the biggest kicks I get out of movies is their ability to present new and different things. I've run into people who didn't like Being John Malkovich because "it was too weird." So what? Weird and different is good. Either we get the same old conventional stuff, or we can be surprised by a movie that's willing to try something unheard of. Granted, not every weird movie is automatically good, but not every weird movie is automatically bad, either. That's where Brotherhood of the Wolf (Le Pacte des Loups) comes in. This is one of the most preposterous and satisfying movies I've seen. It combines genres and parts from other movies, and comes up with a finished assemblage that stands on its own. It's not original, but it nearly makes us think so.
In a region of 18th century France, dozens of people have died at the hands of a wild animal. The few survivors have described it as having horns and weighing over 500 pounds. The animal comes to be known as the Beast of Gevaudan. The King sends a naturalist/philosopher to the scene to solve the mystery. Grégoire de Fronsac (Samuel Le Bihan) has just returned from New France, and with him is his faithful friend Mani (Mark Dacascos), an Iroquois Indian whose tribe has been wiped out by "the Pox" (I assume smallpox, not chicken pox). Together, they join hunters and soldiers out to catch the beast and acquire the bounty that the King has put out.

This is based off of an actual case. An animal did terrorize a small French region, killing dozens of peasants. However, that historical fact only serves as a foundation upon which director and co-writer Christophe Gans can fashion a tale combining martial arts, witchcraft, werewolves, politics and conspiracy. Fronsac associates himself with the nobility, and his attention turns to Marianne de Morangias (Emilie Dequenne). Her brother, the one-armed Jean-François (Vincent Cassel), has serious problems with this. Then there's Sylvia (Monica Bellucci), who hangs out at the local brothel telling fortunes in the midst of her primary duties. We learn that a secret society is controlling the beast, but the beast's origins and master are a mystery that Fronsac must solve.

The movie has a surprisingly healthy dosage of fight scenes, with Mani using his martial arts to dispatch thuggish peasants. However, Mani isn't the only person who can fight. Many of the films bad guys are also expert martial artists. This is certainly out of place, especially in 18th century France, but that is only one of the movies many surprises. The movie is essentially a horror film. We only catch glimpses of the beast for most of the film. When we do see it, it looks pretty scary. The special effects are often impressive. Computer-generated landscapes sometimes take the place of the actual locations. They're not always convincing, but they look cool in a "Babylon 5" sort of way. This is probably the most notable special effects movie from France since 1995's The City of Lost Children. There are many more pleasures to unearth here, but my biggest compliment is that this is a really entertaining film. That's what it comes down to.

Brotherhood of the Wolf is a strange concoction of genres, and it works. The fact that the movie takes itself very seriously, combined with the realization that we're not supposed to, results in a truly unique and wonderful picture. The movie can also be discussed in terms of society and how the members of which are viewed. The beast represents the decadence to which society has sunk, in addition to the fact that it's a tool for the Brotherhood to run things. The movie is filled with nice touches like that. The story gets convoluted at times, but that only adds the film's pleasures. We can view it on a number of levels, or just sit back and accept the notion that a French werewolf movie taking place in the 18th century can work.