History Film / BrotherhoodOfTheWolf

* StopHelpingMe!: [[spoiler:The Brotherhood's goal is to increase the political power of the Catholic Church in France; judging by the Holy See sending Sylvia to deal with them, it's clear that their efforts were unwanted.]]

* SimpleStaff: The soldiers disguised as women are armed with staves. Unfortunately for them, Mani is much more skilled at it.

''Brotherhood of the Wolf'' (''Le Pacte des Loups'' in French) is a 2001 French historical action/mystery/horror film directed by Christophe Gans, who was previously known for his LiveActionAdaptation of ''Manga/CryingFreeman''.

Fronsac and Mani are quickly enlisted to hunt down the beast and study it. Along the way, they encounter a mysterious group of gypsies and a number of sleazy aristocrats. Creator/VincentCassel plays a one-armed hunting enthusiast who also takes an interest in the beast, Creator/MonicaBellucci plays a seductive Italian prostitute who is far more than she seems, and Creator/JeremieRenier plays a young nobleman who assists Fronsac.

* DeviousDaggers: When pulling all the stops and going on his RoaringRampageOfRevenge, thepragmatic Fronsac favors a big bowie-like hunting knife (it might cross into PsychoKnifeNut too given his brutal attitude at the time). For the final duel, he replaces it with two huge, medieval-looking daggers, although ironically this time he has changed to a much more theatrical presentation with religious speeches and a lot of WeaponTwirling.

* DarkChick: La Bavarde, the epileptic gypsy girl who apparently can't get enough violence. Even his father is disturbed by this.

* AluminumChristmasTrees:
** Audience members could find 18th centry Frenchmen "kung fu fighting" to be strange, but all the martial arts showcased in the film are actually accurate for the period and place. The kicking style used by roughly everybody in the film comes from savate, which was starting to take form by the time the film is set, while all the stick-fighting comes from another native style named ''canne de combat''.
** The aristocrats' racial theories might sound over-the-top, but that's what many cultured people of the Age of Enlightenment actually postulated and believed about Native Americans and blacks. France being located next to Spain, in whose empire intermarrying between all sorts of ethnicities was commonplace, didn't even help, but on the opposite, it caused the Spanish and Portuguese Empire to grow similar attitudes on the matter. However, the film also illustrates that those beliefs were limited to the intellectual elites, as the town's prostitutes, who are still aware of Native Americans being a thing (if they get the wrong tribe), find no reason not to sleep with Mani other than his tattoos being mistaken by sorcery.
** The plan of using blankets infected with smallpox to weed out Native Americans actually happened in history, although it wasn't used by the French on the Iroquois, but by the English on the Pontiac coalition.
** Interestingly, some modern investigations have theorized that the real life Beast of Gevaudan might have been a non-autochthonous animal (maybe a hyena, or even a [[spoiler:big cat]] as portrayed in the film) controlled by men with an unknown purpose. ''Brotherhood of the Wolf'' could therefore be more realistic than it looks. There are even those who believe the real beast's killer, a man named Jean Chastel, was also the one who trained the beast in the first place (again, as portrayed in the film, where he's the old man who takes care of the beast), which is how he was able to kill it with a legitimate silver bullet, since a real silver bullet is so inaccurate he'd have to have gotten real close to the animal to do the deed.

* AnAxeToGrind: Mani and his tomahawk.

* DoesNotLikeGuns: Mani prefers a [[AnAxeToGrind tomahawk]]. He says "Too much smoke, too much noise, bad smell."

** Interestingly, some modern investigations have theorized that the real life Beast of Gevaudan might have been a non-autochthonous animal (maybe a hyena, or even a [[spoiler:big cat]] as portrayed in the film) controlled by men with an unknown purpose. ''Brotherhood of the Wolf'' could therefore be more realistic than it looks. There are even those who believe the real beast's killer, a man named Jean Chastel, was also the one who trained the beast in the first place (again, as portrayed in the film, where he's the old man who takes care of the beast), which is how he was able to kill it with a legitimate silver bullet, since a real silver bullet is so inaccurate he’d have to have gotten real close to the animal to do the deed.

* DarkAndTroubledPast: [[spoiler:Jean-François was troubled by his attraction to his own sister, so he traveled to Africa in an attempt to get away from her. It didn't work, and he returned even crazier and more psychotic due to a lion's attack.]]

* DeviousDaggers: When pulling all the stops and going in his RoaringRampageOfRevenge, the brutal and pragmatic Fronsac favors a big bowie-like hunting knife (it might cross into PsychoKnifeNut too given his attitude). For the final duel, he replaces it with two huge, medieval-looking daggers, although ironically this time he has changed to a much more theatrical presentation with a lot of WeaponTwirling.

* DoesNotLikeGuns: Mani prefers a [[AnAxeToGrind Tomahawk]]. He says "Too much smoke, too much noise, bad smell."

* EqualOpportunityEvil: The Brotherhood's mooks include women and gypsy people without any distinction, and [[spoiler:Jean-François]]'s words imply he doesn't consider Africans to be inferior to whites either.

* MagicalNativeAmerican: Mani has an air of mysticism about him — according to Fronsac he was "a sort of priest" to his tribe, presumably a shaman and/or medicine man — and seems to have some sort of psychic connection with a wolf. He also shows hints of being fully aware of the archetype and quite the DeadpanSnarker.

* RedOniBlueOni: Fronsac and Mani, respectively, which is reflected best in their fighting styles. Mani's is graceful and relaxed, often dodging a lot, sparing hits, and aiming for well-placed knockdowns, and he avoids killing unless fighting for his life. Meanwhile, Fronsac's is direct and violent, relying in highly aggressive takedowns and lethal attacks, and visibly relishes the bloodshed when out for revenge.
* TheReveal: [[spoiler:Jean-François ''didn't'' lose his arm in a hunting accident. It just got badly mangled, and he's had it tied behind his back pretending to be crippled ever since, probably to throw the scent off his trail as the enforcer of the Brotherhood]].

* ScaryImpracticalArmor: [[spoiler:The Beast wears armor covered in bone and metal spikes that is simply there to make it appear more monstrous. The armor doesn't appear to hinder its movements, however]].

* {{Slurpasaur}}: An in-Verse example: [[spoiler: the Beast is an attack-trained lion dressed up in blade-studded barding]].
* StopHelpingMe![[spoiler:The Brotherhood's goal is to increase the political power of the Catholic Church in France; judging by the Holy See sending Sylvia to deal with them, it's clear that their efforts were unwanted.]]

* TheUnreveal: It's never explicitly said what kind of animal the Beast is. All we are told is that [[spoiler: it's the offspring of an animal that Jean-François brought back with him from Africa.]] Viewers only get a hint at a shot to the animal's unarmored eyes, revealing cat-like irises and golden fur. According to the producers, it's [[spoiler:a lion]].

** Audience members could find 18th centry Frenchmen "kung fu fighting" to be strange, but all the martial arts showcased in the film are actually accurate for the period and place. The kicking style used by roughly everybody in the film comes from savate, which was starting to take form by the time the film is set, while all the stick-fighting comes from another native style named ''canne de combat''. However, admittedly, Mani's style is clearly influenced by Mark Dacascos's background in Wun Hop Kuen Do.

* AnAxeToGrind: Mani and his tomahawk.

* DarkChick: La Bavarde, the epileptic gypsy girl who apparently can't get enough violence.

* EveryoneHasStandards: [[spoiler: The Catholic Church ultimately decides that keeping its power over France is not worth the death and suffering the Brotherhood spreads.]]

* MookChivalry: The opening brawls, while stylish, consists of the mooks circling around Mani and doing nothing, until it's their time to charge him.

* RedOniBlueOni: Fronsac and Mani, respectively. It's reflected in their fighting styles: Mani's is graceful and based in a continuously flowing rhythm, and he avoids killing unless fighting for his life, but Fronsac's is savage and direct, relying in highly aggressive takedowns, and he certainly doesn't care about butchering opponents.

** Audience members could find 18th centry Frenchmen "kung fu fighting" to be strange, but all the martial arts showcased in the film are actually accurate for the period and place. The kicking style used by roughly everybody in the film comes from savate, which was starting taking form by the time the film is set, while all the stick-fighting comes from another native style named ''canne de combat''. However, admittedly, Mani's style is clearly influenced by Mark Dacascos's background in Wun Hop Kuen Do.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: [[spoiler:Fronsac kills a bunch of people and, surprise, gets arrested for it.]]

* AllThereInTheManual: According to supplemental materials, the martial art that Mani displays proficiency in is actually a pre-modern form of savate, taught to him by Fronsac after aiding him during the French and Indian War. However, his style and Fronsac’s look rather different.

* AxCrazy: [[spoiler: Jean-François. Aside for being the Beast's master, he is also a sadistic psychopath obsessed with his own sister. No wonder the cult hired him for its dirty work]].
* BackFromTheDead: Played with. [[spoiler:Fronsac was presumed dead after being poisoned by Sylvia; turns out the effects were just temporary]].
* BadassBookworm: Fronsac is a scientist by profession, being one of the most accomplished in his field, a veteran of the French-Indian Wars who rose to Captain through valor in battle, and shown to be just as skilled as Mani in melee combat.

* BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: The Brotherhood keep dogs to feed the Beast. [[spoiler:There's also the abuse Jean-Francois inflicted on the Beast while raising it to be his attack animal.]]

* BitchInSheepsClothing: [[spoiler:La Bavarde and Jean Francois]].

* BrotherSisterIncest: [[spoiler:Jean-François towards Marianne. It's never quite clear what exactly happens outside of his mind, but he looks quite psychotic and certainly ''wants'' her. And he ends up raping her.]]

* {{Cult}}: [[spoiler:More of a secret society, really. The eponymous Brotherhood of the Wolf is a group of conservative aristocrats seeking to hold on to the old ways by putting the fear of God into the hearts of the commoners by way of highly trained, homicidal beast. From their point of view, perhaps a justifiable plan, seeing as the film ends with aristocratic good guy Thomas d'Apcher — now old, he's been retelling experiences from when he was a young man — being taken to his execution by revolutionaries.]]

* DesignatedGirlFight: [[spoiler:Sylvia is the one to take out La Bavarde, though Fronsac does kill a number of other gypsy women. It's more of a CurbStompBattle though]].
* DiscOneFinalBoss: [[spoiler:The Beast is badly wounded after the fight in the forest, and spends the climax being tended to by the old Gypsy.]]

* EverybodyWasKungFuFighting: Fronsac and Mani use a French form of stick-fighting called ''Canne De Combat'' mixed with the martial art of savate, a French kicking style also used by the antagonists. However, because the action scenes are filmed in an Eastern style, many audience members could find 18th centry Frenchmen "kung fu fighting" to be strange. Mani's style is clearly based on Mark Dacascos's training in background in Wun Hop Kuen Do, and [[spoiler:Jean-François]]'s heavy swordfighting can be easily mistaken for UsefulNotes/{{kendo}}.

* FacialMarkings: Mani's warpaint.
* FakingTheDead: [[spoiler:Fronsac]].
* FearsomeCrittersOfAmericanFolklore: Fronsac shows the Fur Bearing Trout to French aristocrats until one catches onto the forgery. It allows him to talk about his theory on the nature of the Wolf.

* GangstaStyle: Fronsac fires two flintlock pistols this way during a target practice sequence. HilariousInHindsight if you know anything about flintlock weapons: not only would aiming them that way make an already-inaccurate weapon even more so, but they simply wouldn't be able to fire in that position.

* GreatWhiteHunter: Fronsac is sent to investigate the beast because of his skill as a naturalist and a hunter.

* TheIngenue: The count of Monragias, Jean-Francois and Marianne's father. [[spoiler: And one of the few aristocrats who knew nothing about the Cult.]]

* MookChivalry: The opening brawl, while stylish, consists of the mooks circling around Mani and doing nothing, until it's their time to charge him.

* ObfuscatingDisability: [[spoiler:Jean-François's right arm has not been amputated, it was just horribly mangled when he trained the beast. He also let his fingernails growing]].

* OurWerewolvesAreDifferent: Actual werwolves don't appear, but the Gevaudan myth is so often associated with them that the movie must at least play with this trope in passing, most notably with Jean-François' silver bullets, with Fronsac teasing him about believing in werewolves (it's really so that his bullets will be distinctive).

* RedOniBlueOni: Fronsac and Mani, respectively. It’s reflected in their fighting styles: Mani's is graceful and based in a continuously flowing rhythm, and he avoids killing, but Fronsac's is savage and direct, relying in linear attacks, and he certainly doesn't care about butchering opponents.

* SilentSnarker: Mani doesn't talk much but that doesn't stop him from making his opinions on [[WhatAnIdiot certain people]] abundantly clear.

* StopHelpingMe![[spoiler: The Brotherhood's goal is to increase the political power of the Catholic Church in France; judging by the Holy See sending Sylvia to deal with them, it's clear that their efforts were unwanted.]]

* ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: Sort of. [[spoiler:As his thoat has been slashed by Fronsac, Jean-François grabs one of Fronsac swords with his WhipSword. Fronsac lets the sword go when Jean-François pulls his whipsword back to reassemble it, impaling Jean-François in the process. The slow motion in that scene feels like a SpecialEffectFailure though]].
* TookALevelInBadass: Fronsac after [[spoiler: Mani is killed]]. Or at least, it seems that way from the point of the view of the rest of the characters, since up until then Fronsac had been content to let Mani handle badass duty. It turns out he was just as badass as Mani all along, if not more so, and when properly motivated he [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge plows a path of utter destruction]] that makes a viewer wonder why he even kept Mani around at all. However, in the deleted scenes, the first fight segment (Mani vs the villagers with staffs), Fronsac tags in later, and finally the two fight together.

* TheUnreveal: It's never explicitly said what kind of animal the Beast is. All we are told is that [[spoiler: it's the offspring of an animal that Jean-François brought back with him from Africa.]] Viewers only get a hint at a shot to the animal's unarmored eyes, revealing cat-like irises and gold fur. WordOfGod is that it's [[spoiler:a lion]].
* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: The Beast of Gevaudan is the name given to a man-eating wolf-like creature that terrorized the the province of Gevaudan from 1764 to 1767. Suffice to say, the director and the screenplay writers took plenty of liberties with the story. [[spoiler: Also, the real Marquis d'Apcher survived the French Revolution and died in 1798]].
** Interestingly, some modern investigations have theorized that the Beast might have been a non-autochthonous animal (maybe a hyena, or even a [[spoiler:big cat]] as portrayed) controlled by men with an unknown purpose. The film could therefore be more realistic than it looks.
** Most historians consider that the Morangiès family wasn't involved in the Beast's attacks in any way.
** There are even those who believe the beast’s killer, a man named Jean Chastel, was also the one who trained the beast in the first place which is how he was able to kill it with a legitimate silver bullet since a real silver bullet is inaccurate he’d have to have gotten real close to the animal to do the deed.

%%[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]]

* TookALevelInBadass: Fronsac after [[spoiler: Mani is killed]]. Or at least, it seems that way from the point of the view of the rest of the characters, since up until then Fronsac had been content to let Mani handle badass duty. It turns out he was just as badass as Mani all along, [[UpToEleven if not more so]], and when properly motivated he [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge plows a path of utter destruction]] that makes a viewer wonder why he even kept Mani around at all. However, in the deleted scenes, the first fight segment (Mani vs the villagers with staffs), Fronsac tags in later, and finally the two fight together.

Fronsac and Mani are quickly enlisted to hunt down the beast and study it. Along the way, they encounter a mysterious group of gypsies and a number of sleazy aristocrats. Creator/VincentCassel plays a one-armed hunting enthusiast who also takes an interest in the beast, and Creator/MonicaBellucci plays a seductive Italian prostitute who is far more than she seems.

* DiscOneFinalBoss:[[spoiler: The Beast is badly wounded after the fight in the forest, and spends the climax being tended to by the old Gypsy.]]

* NonMaliciousMonster: [[spoiler:The Beast is actually a big lion disguised as a monster with metal spikes and shards by the Brotherhood members and trained to scare and/or kill the villagers. But the Brotherhood, and Jean-François in particular, are the real villains]].

* BadassLongcoat: The greatcoats worn by Fronsac and Mani at the very beginning. The image was used on most promotional material, even though they only wear them in one scene.

''Brotherhood of the Wolf'' (''Le Pacte des Loups'' in French) is a 2001 French historical action/mystery film directed by Christophe Gans, who was previously known for his LiveActionAdaptation of ''Manga/CryingFreeman''.

''Brotherhood of the Wolf'' (originally titled ''Le Pacte des Loups'') is a 2001 French film directed by Christophe Gans, who was previously known for his LiveActionAdaptation of ''Manga/CryingFreeman''.

It is ''very'' loosely based on the real, historical mystery of "the Beast of Gévaudan" — a creature which allegedly killed almost 100 people, most of them women and children, over a three year period in a remote, rural area of UsefulNotes/{{France}} corresponding to modern-day [[UsefulNotes/DepartementalIssues Lozère]]. In the summer of 1764, King UsefulNotes/LouisXV arranged a great hunt, and a wolf claimed to be the beast was slain, but subsequently more killings took place. "The Beast" has never been identified.

Fronsac and Mani are quickly enlisted to hunt down the beast and study it. Along the way, they encounter a mysterious group of gypsies and a number of sleazy aristocrats. Creator/VincentCassel plays a one-armed hunting enthusiast who also takes an interest in the beast. Creator/MonicaBellucci also stars as a seductive Italian prostitute who is far more than she seems.

* CombatHandFan: Sylvia slits a woman's throat with a serrated fan.

* SlashedThroat: The final fight scene sees some characters getting bloody and direct.

* MarkedBullet: Jean-François uses silver bullets to "sign" his shots.

Fronsac and Mani are quickly enlisted to hunt down the beast and study it. Along the way, they encounter a mysterious group of gypsies and a number of sleazy French aristocrats. Creator/VincentCassel plays a one-armed hunting enthusiast who also takes an interest in the beast. Creator/MonicaBellucci also stars as a seductive Italian prostitute who is far more than she seems.