Monday, September 20, 2004
'The Brotherhood of The Wolf,' (2001) France (Les Pacte Des Loups)
"A Wild Ride." So Says Premiere Magazine. Yeah, right. The movie starts off well enough and does a good job drawing the viewer into the story. There is a creature (a wolf?) terrorizing the French countryside in the 1800's or thereabouts.
In then gets WAY too complicated, even if you watch it with the subtitles. Fronsac (a handsome Samuel Le Bihan) and his sidekick Mani (Mark Decascos) are sent by the king to see what is happening and kick some wolf ass. Now if you are wondering where the 'gay film' part comes in, so was (am) I. This film was advertised to me as gay interest, but there really is none. Fronsac and Mani definitely have a Lone Ranger and Tonto type friendship and are 'blood brothers,' but I can't tell that they ever shared anything more than that. They both have sex with women during a party at a castle and sleep in separate rooms. Sigh.
Oh yeah, so Sylvia (Monica Belucci-Matrix Reloaded & Revolutions, Irreversible) shows up and Fronsac bangs her. She plays her usual mysterious, mystical Character, but is she responsible for the beast? Oh yeah, so Fronsac bangs her but he REALLY likes Marianne the sweet, young, aristocrats daughter. She has a wigged out brother, Jean-Francois (Vincent Cassel-is this where he met real-life wife Belucci?) who acts weird all the time. Is he responsible for the beast? Oh yeah, so they all pal around with Thomas d'Apacher (Jeremie Renier) and try to track down the beast. So you know one of them is not going to make it. They find the lair of the beast and his keeper, and discover it is all a consiracy and a cover-up! gasp! So many twists and turns. Too many for a movie set in the 18th century.
The ending is way too long and anti-climactic and we discover that this is all being told in flashback from one of the above mentioned characters who a large angry French mob is waiting outside to kill. So, um, why, if this person is about to be lynched is he or she remiscing about a creature hunt from 30 years before, and why, just out of curiosity is he or she about to be lynched? I guess I missed that part. I think they would have done better to leave out some of the confusing and unnecessary twists and try to tell a better story. The best parts of this flick are the French countryside and the few good special effects, and in my opinion, there is no 'gay interest' to this film.
my rating
rent it if you are bored
bs
In then gets WAY too complicated, even if you watch it with the subtitles. Fronsac (a handsome Samuel Le Bihan) and his sidekick Mani (Mark Decascos) are sent by the king to see what is happening and kick some wolf ass. Now if you are wondering where the 'gay film' part comes in, so was (am) I. This film was advertised to me as gay interest, but there really is none. Fronsac and Mani definitely have a Lone Ranger and Tonto type friendship and are 'blood brothers,' but I can't tell that they ever shared anything more than that. They both have sex with women during a party at a castle and sleep in separate rooms. Sigh.
Oh yeah, so Sylvia (Monica Belucci-Matrix Reloaded & Revolutions, Irreversible) shows up and Fronsac bangs her. She plays her usual mysterious, mystical Character, but is she responsible for the beast? Oh yeah, so Fronsac bangs her but he REALLY likes Marianne the sweet, young, aristocrats daughter. She has a wigged out brother, Jean-Francois (Vincent Cassel-is this where he met real-life wife Belucci?) who acts weird all the time. Is he responsible for the beast? Oh yeah, so they all pal around with Thomas d'Apacher (Jeremie Renier) and try to track down the beast. So you know one of them is not going to make it. They find the lair of the beast and his keeper, and discover it is all a consiracy and a cover-up! gasp! So many twists and turns. Too many for a movie set in the 18th century.
The ending is way too long and anti-climactic and we discover that this is all being told in flashback from one of the above mentioned characters who a large angry French mob is waiting outside to kill. So, um, why, if this person is about to be lynched is he or she remiscing about a creature hunt from 30 years before, and why, just out of curiosity is he or she about to be lynched? I guess I missed that part. I think they would have done better to leave out some of the confusing and unnecessary twists and try to tell a better story. The best parts of this flick are the French countryside and the few good special effects, and in my opinion, there is no 'gay interest' to this film.
my rating
rent it if you are bored
bs
