听 
French cinema is a strange beast that is torn between the rarefied aesthetics of its arthouse fare and the commercial imperatives of the mainstream. "Brotherhood of the Wolf " (Le Pacte des Loups) is a rather unsatisfying attempt to combine the two: a "Jaws" -style monster yarn that also offers a social critique of France's pre-Revolution elite. The result will leave serious cinephiles cold and bore those in search of lurid cheap thrills.
In an isolated district of south central France, the 'beast of G茅vaudan' is blamed for the savage deaths of over 100 people. As panic sweeps through the region, Louis XV sends Gr茅goire de Fronsac (Samuel Le Bihan), a brilliant young natural scientist, to investigate. Assisted by Mani (Mark Decascos), an Iroquoi Indian he met in the New World, Fronsac realises the beast is in fact a wolf that has been trained to kill.
With dazzling special effects from Jim Henson's creature shop and well-choreographed mayhem from martial artist Dacascos, the ingredients are in place for an enjoyable period actioner. But alas, director Christophe Gans complicates matters needlessly by throwing in a disaffected nobleman (Vincent Cassel), an enigmatic courtesan (Monica Bellucci), and a baffling framing narrative set during the French Revolution.
All of this extends the running time to well over two hours, while the decision to dispense with a major character halfway through the film is terribly misguided.
If you enjoyed "Sleepy Hollow" you might get a kick out of the Gothic atmosphere and camp theatrics, but that's hardly a recommendation.
In French with English subtitles.
