‘Brotherhood Of The Wolf’ 4K UHD Blu-Ray Review – A Visually Dazzling Horror Fantasy Epic

How do you get traditional Americans to see a stuffy French film? Easy, just put a lot of action and horror in the marketing and try to avoid tipping off that it is a “foreign language” film. While this is a gross exaggeration, at least some of these tactics were used to elevate Brotherhood of the Wolf to the sixth-highest-grossing French-language film of all time in the United States back in 2001. Christophe Gans (Silent Hill) had the right idea when he decided to tackle this material that would bring in genre elements that were largely absent from French cinema. While perhaps at times overly ambitious in its narrative scope, the resulting feature was undeniably exciting much of the time as it took the famous legend of the beast of Gévaudan and made it accessible to a mass audience. There are a few slight technical elements that do not quite hold up after twenty years, but the overall feature is just as stirring as when it first debuted.

We are transported back to 1764 in the French province of Gévaudan where its citizens are being terrorized by a mysterious beast believed to be a wolf. For years deaths have continued to plague the countryside as tales of the malicious entity have grown larger and more unbelievable. Many have tried to slay the beast, but most have not even set eyes upon it and lived to tell the tale. This changes upon the arrival of the knight Grégoire de Fronsac (Samuel Le Bihan, Three Colors: Red) and his Iroquois companion Mani (Mark Dacascos, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum). From the very beginning, the pair are viewed from a curious distance by the high-class residents, mostly because Grégoire treats Mani as an equal and neither of them tries to play the game of impressing the wealthy. This earns Grégoire the attention of Marianne de Morangias (Émilie Dequenne, Rosetta), much to the chagrin of her handicapped brother Jean-François (Vincent Cassel, Black Swan). While our heroes live by a moral code, those who count themselves among this population do not seem to share in this which makes you wonder if they really want the beast caught or not. 

The palace mystery portion of the film is mostly intriguing throughout, but there are various moments during this 150-minute behemoth where your interest begins to wane and you hope for something to quicken your pulse sooner rather than later. Gans makes the wise choice of giving you a small amount of action early on when our pair of protagonists stumble upon some ne’er-do-wells and you can see some of the fighting skills they possess. This not only gets you up to speed on their effectiveness in an altercation, but you get flashes of their interpersonal dynamic that make the slower, emotional bits more intriguing later on. Samuel Le Bihan and Mark Dacascos are two standout performers in an ensemble that is ridiculously riddled with talent. They have a natural rapport with one another that feels genuine, and Dacascos especially has you glued to the screen any time he is present. The character of Grégoire takes a little more time to truly wow, but when he does it is thrilling. 

The reason most are probably drawn to this particular story is the potential for action and horror elements, and the film does not disappoint in this respect. This movie employs martial arts and various complicated traps that provide some awe-inspiring moments. You might remember some of these moments from commercials, but the way it plays out within the context of the film is a lot of fun. The last 45 minutes of the story rarely let up on the bloody brawls or pulse-pounding confrontations with the villainous entity. The film utilizes some digital special effects that do not completely hold up, but thankfully there is a base level of practical effects to keep some of the intrigue alive. As a matter of fact, most of the craft elements of the film are impeccable from the lavish production design to the intricate costumes and bloody makeup effects. A lot of care was put into bringing this film to life, and the quality is readily apparent on screen. 

Brotherhood of the Wolf perhaps overstays its welcome and would likely work better with a little tighter construction, but even in its extended form it never fails to be an entertaining experience filled with many unexpected turns and fun surprises. The performances from the biggest roles to the minor players are outstanding and the technical elements are beyond reproach in most respects. Even with its flaws, you have to admire this one for how unique it is in the cinematic landscape. 

Video Quality

Scream Factory brings Brotherhood of the Wolf to 4K UHD Blu-Ray with a 2160p Dolby Vision/HDR10 transfer in 2.35:1 from a 2022 restoration of the Original Camera Negative by Studio Canal supervised by editor Sébastien Prangère and director Christophe Gans. We reviewed the original Blu-Ray from the company back in 2021, and at that time we bemoaned the fact that the company was working from an uninspiring older master. Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait too long for an effort to be put forth for a proper restoration, and the results are night and day different from the previous presentation. 

The transfer retains the natural film grain of the original source with an even and consistent distribution across the screen that allows for a great deal of enhanced texture. With this new transfer, you can observe new details in the clothing, landscapes, and production design. Compared to the previous Blu-Ray release, the transfer has a much more three-dimensional depth and clarity to the picture. The digital effects still show their age in some respects, but they blend a bit better with this newly restored presentation. Skin tones look natural, and colors make a much better impression thanks to the gorgeous implementation of Dolby Vision. Black levels showcase much stronger detail in shadow with crush never showing up as an issue. While there may be a blemish or two lingering, this restored presentation allows this film to look the best it ever has with no egregious damage to be found. Scream Factory has provided a great new presentation for fans. 

Audio Quality

This 4K UHD Blu-Ray comes with an all-new Dolby Atmos track in the original French in addition to the previously available DTS-HD 5.1 and 2.0 Master Audio tracks in the original French and dubbed English. We have covered the previous tracks on the Blu-Ray, so we will mostly be focusing on the new Dolby Atmos track. The first pressing of the previous Blu-Ray release had botched English subtitles, but the company subsequently implemented a replacement program, and they use the corrected subtitles on this new release. The Dolby Atmos provides a nice expansion of the previous track that honors the source while enhancing the experience with modern technology. Every element in the mix seems carefully placed to provide a natural experience that brings this world straight into your living room. 

Dialogue sounds crisp and clear without sound effects or the score overshadowing important information. Moments of chatter at crowded palace events are employed appropriately in precise channels in the front and rear. The addition of height channels is used to complement the other channels rather than carrying the main load. This three-dimensional experience offers distinct sounds that creep through the surrounds to provide some excellent ambient details. The subwoofer is given a substantial workout at points with some gunfire and moments of violence from hand-to-hand fighting and the beast attack. The score is weighty and soaring throughout as it maintains a nice fidelity. This new track provides a formidable experience for fans. 

Special Features

• Deleted Scenes: A 40-minute piece presented in SD in which director Christophe Gans introduces five unfinished scenes not included in the final film or intended for a longer version. Gans does a nice job of giving context to each setup and the scenes themselves are entertaining, especially the first fight scene which is an extended version of the first altercation. In addition to providing the actual scenes, there is also some behind-the-scenes footage included. 

• The Guts of the Beast: An epic 78-minute documentary in which the cast and crew delve into nearly every aspect of the film you could want from the casting of the picture, the art direction, the fight scenes, the creature design, the digital effects, and more. Interview subjects include director Christophe Gans, executive Francois Congnard, writer Stephane Cabel, actors Samuel Le Bihan, Mark Dacascos, Vincent Cassel, Monica Bellucci, and Emilie Dequenne, cinematographer Dan Laustsen, production designer Guy-Claude Francois, stunt choreographer Philip Kwok, stunt performers Gaelle Cohen and Nicky Naude, producer Richard Grandpierre, visual effects supervisor Jamie Courtier, and visual effects artists Pete Bell, Val Wardlaw, and Seb Caudron. Subtitles occasionally drop out for a short bit so those who know French should count themselves lucky. 

• The Making of Brotherhood of the Wolf: Another 78-minute documentary that gets more into the actual day-to-day production of the film including the filming of fight scenes, actors finding their characters, creatives solving disagreements and sharing in the enthusiasm, and more. This piece is a bit more informal than the previous documentary but shows off the making of a film in a way that rarely gets documented these days. 

• Legend: A 17-minute featurette with author Michel Louis who shares his knowledge on the Beast from Gevaudan story and his thoughts on the film. 

• Theatrical Trailers: Two trailers totaling four minutes are provided here 

Final Thoughts

Brotherhood of the Wolf is a big, ambitious film that may not always work, but it works enough of the time to keep you invested in this absurd, exciting tale. The film is visually a near masterpiece with its immaculate production design and lavish costumes. The performances are strong across the ensemble, but Mark Dacascos steals the film early on and never gives it back. Scream Factory has released a new 4K UHD Blu-Ray that greatly improves on the previous Blu-Ray release in the A/V department. The extra disc full of special features provides a lot of wonderful insights that fans will love digging into if they haven’t already on previous packed DVD releases of the film. If you are a fan of the film, this is a solid addition to your collection. Recommended  

Brotherhood of the Wolf is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray and Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Scream Factory has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.