Vincent Cassel in "The Brotherhood of the Wolf."

MOVIE INFORMATION

With 10 as a must-see, Jack gives this film a: Stars: Samuel Le Bihan Director: Christophe Gans Rated: R, with strong violence, sex and nudity Length: 146 minutes

ROCHESTERCRITIQUE

Having seen this film, how would you rate it? 10 5 9 4 8 3 7 2 6 1

By Jack Garner
Democrat and Chronicle

(January 25, 2002) -- Brotherhood of the Wolf is all-inclusive. It's:

• An 18th-century French costume epic, with elegant garb, castles, medieval villages and swordplay. And, oh yes, subtitles.
  
• A robust bodice ripper, with rampant lust -- in the naked, free-wheeling Gallic tradition.
  
• A martial arts actioner, with swirling kicks and chop-chop hand-to-hand combat. Imagine Crouching Tiger with a French accent.
  
• An Indian adventure, complete with an American Mohawk, imported from New France to fight, like Tonto, at the side of the hero.
  
• A werewolf horror flick, with villagers in flight from a ravenous beast, thought to be a giant wolf.
  
• A bizarre religious cult movie. But if I told you more about that aspect, the Brotherhood would come after me.

The overly long result suffers from its shotgun approach and a severe identity crisis. What the heck is it?

The core of the film is a long-held French legend about a series of vicious attacks by a wolflike creature in the countryside. Gans' film builds upon the legend with a wild, elaborate tale of its own.

A French warrior and his Indian sidekick are dispatched to the isolated locale to solve the problem -- and encounter bizarre villains, shadowy intrigue, seductive ladies, a mysterious priest and lots of ulterior motives.

The result is so over the top, it's in orbit. But if that's how you like your entertainment, Brotherhood of the Wolf offers some improbable but undeniable pleasures.