Brotherhood of the Wolf
Directed by Christophe Gans
- adventure
- horror
- action
- history
The story
In 18th century France, the Chevalier de Fronsac and his Native American friend Mani are sent by the King to the Gevaudan province to investigate the killings of hundreds by a mysterious beast.
What it’s like
Lush, saturated period pictures with rich greens, mossy browns and blood-red accents, shot with sweeping crane moves and fast, kinetic action framed in wide compositions; the forests feel damp and overgrown, the aristocratic interiors gilded and candlelit. Its sound mixes a bombastic orchestral score with clattering swordplay, howls and rustling undergrowth, and the rhythm lurches between slow, mannered court dialogue and sudden, brutal bursts of fight choreography. The vibe is baroque gothic adventure, playful and florid, with a conspiracy-thriller undertow. Violence is frequent and often bloody, with stabbings, gunfire and creature attacks shown in graphic detail; there is sexual violence and a rape depicted in the story, and fear and dread run throughout, so this is not gentle viewing. It suits a late-night watch for people who enjoy stylised genre spectacle, martial arts flourishes, and ornate period detail, and who can handle heavy, unsettling content.
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