Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001)

Between 1765 and 1768, the Beast of Gevaudan subjected this sparsely-populated region of southern France, made up of forest-clad hillsides wreathed in mist, to an unrelenting reign of terror. Over 100 people, mostly women and children, went missing. Those whose corpses were found bore the marks of a savage attack by a wild animal.

At a time when France and Britain were fighting over the New World, King Louis XV could not afford to see his absolute authority at home diminished by a rampaging beast. A suitably fearsome-looking wolf was killed and paraded through Paris. But in Gevaudan people continued to disappear.

BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF (LE PACTE DES LOUPS) takes these events and the real-life protagonists as its starting-point and weaves an enthralling tale of love, political intrigue and religious fervor, which might finally explain what actually happened over 200 years ago.

Director Christophe Gans, whose first feature CRYING FREEMAN has achieved cult status worldwide, brings a resolutely modern approach to this period drama, inspired by admiration for Japanese Samurai movies and Sergio Leone's reworking of the Western genre.

The cast features five of the brightest young stars in French cinema, Samuel Le Bihan, Vincent Cassel, Monica Bellucci, Jeremie Renier and Emilie Dequenne (Best Actress at Cannes '99). Martial arts expert Mark Dacascos plays Mani, an Iroquois Indian, who befriends the wolves of the forest to unearth the Beast's lair. The numerous action and combat scenes are orchestrated by Hong Kong's masterful stunt coordinator Philip Kwok.

The creation of the Beast was entrusted to Jim Henson's Creature Shop, acknowledged world leaders in the field, whose credits include Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Babe and New Line's Lost in Space. Combining state-of-the-art animatronic and CG techniques, the Beast will be a ferocious surprise not just for the poor inhabitants of Gevaudan.

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