Review - Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001 - Dir. Christophe Gans)

Continuing our birthday celebrations we come to the final entry in our Mark Dacascos Season, and it is one of my favourite films of all time.

The idea of mixing the genres of kung fu, horror, mystery and period french drama, whilst adding a savage stonking great wolf as a garnish may seem a tad foolish. But it works stunningly well, making for one of the most refreshingly original films I've ever seen.


Naturalist (not naturist - that would have been one genre too many. I don't think wolves play volleyball anyway) Gregoire de Fronsac, played by Samuel Le Bihan is sent by the King to the small french province of Gevaudan, along with his native American sidekick Mani (Mark Dacascos). Numerous deaths have been occurring and they have been attributed to a rather large wolf. Fronsac and Mani investigate this general unpleasantness. And hit people a lot. So what we basically have is a berzerk version of Hound of the Baskervilles (not a bad thing).

Gans certainly loves his slow motion and Dacascos has never looked cooler. Forget his Straight-to-DVD actioners. This is what he is truly capable of. There are so many well choreographed fights. His assailants, in true kung fu fashion, take their turn, coming at Mani with fists and various weapons, but he just sorts them. No messing. The sound effects are excessively loud and crunchy, further adding to the stylised nature of the fights. Bihan also gets to do a fair bit of scrapping and is not too shabby in the 'hitting people hard' departpartment.

There is love interest in the form of the gorgeous Émilie Dequenne (The Pack) and Monica Bellucci (Irreversible), just enough to add yet another dimension to the film. Both female leads are great but Dequenne is so great she should get her own season. Now, there's a thought... 

You also get Vincent Cassel as a really creepy villain. He's always good value for money and doesn't let the side down here. Supposedly, he put in a lot of training for his fight sequence and it shows.

Let's get the one negative out of the way. Surprise, surprise, it's the CGI. The wolf looks ropey and a bit too light and lacking in contrast compared to the backgrounds for my liking. Saying that, the close-ups (by Henson) using a practical wolf are premium quality (again, surprise, surprise).

For a film to be so full of disparate elements and still be coherent and top fun is a testament to Gans' skill as a director. (It's a shame Onimusha fell through. That would have been a treat.) He brings out the best in Mark Dacascos (see Crying Freeman) and it would be great to see them work together again. So do the dodgy effects knock the rating down at all? For sheer audacity, I'll let it off.
10/10
evlkeith

(Please note: It's well worth getting the Blu-ray because with the DVD you are limited to a plain stereo soundtrack if you opt for the french language version, the 5.1 sound is only available on the useless dubbed version. The Blu-ray has got the proper full surround experience. Way better. And not smelly.)


If you like this you could also try:
Crying Freeman, Drive, The Pack, the 2002 BBC version of Hound of the Baskervilles.

Review - Crying Freeman (1995 - Dir. Christophe Gans)

Mark Dacascos (Drive) directed by Christophe Gans (Brotherhood of the Wolf, Silent Hill). If that doesn't make you want to watch Crying Freeman, I don't know what will. Christophe Gans previously directed a section of the horror anthology Necronomicon, but this is his first full length film and it is a lot better than you would expect for a low budget, manga/anime to live-action conversion.

The legendary Mark Dacascos, plays the titular Crying Freeman, Yo, the sole assassin of a shady group called 'The Sons of the Dragon'. Inducted into his role without his consent, he turns out to be a natural killer and the myth of his invincibility grows around him. Dacascos does get to partake in quite a bit of killing during the course of the film. He moves with such deadly intent, closing in for the kill, that I could readily believe he is an assassin in real life. Possibly. Give him a gun, and it's like watching a top games player attain a perfect score on a level. He seems to know where every one of his assailants is coming from and there is no hesitation, and no mistakes, as he dispatches each one. 

What does Christophe Gans bring to the proceedings then? There are some stunning images that you just wouldn't expect from a film of its type (and budget). The masked Freeman leaping through the air in slow motion, shooting some ne'er do wells mid-air whilst cars explode in the background is probably the highlight. Brilliant. There is also a really cool shot of a de-shirted Freeman, showing off his massive dragon tattoo, stood in front of a huge statue, as he readies his sword. You can see that Gans has a love for films like this. At times it plays like a straight Yakuza film and at others it is more akin to Hong Kong fantasies, such as, Heroic Trio. The whole film is played straight and the serious tone is ably assisted by the excellent score from Patrick O'Hearn.

Not satisfied with being an action film with a smidgen of fantasy spice, it's also a love film. Emu O'Hara (Julie Condra - Mark Dacascos' real-life wife, they met on this film) witnesses The Freeman on one of his killing jaunts and so, he is sent to kill her. Interestingly, she actually wants him to kill her. You find out why through some narration. Normally, narration can be shocking - see the original cut of Dark City as a prime example of narration spoiling a film by severely dumbing it down - but in this it embellishes the story in a way that you couldn't otherwise know or work out. 


Many other familiar faces crop up in Crying Freeman: Masaya Kato (Drive), Rae Dawn Chong (Commando), Mako (Conan The Destroyer) and Tcheky Karyo (The Core - one of my guilty pleasures), so you know you're in safe hands. All in all, a good film that I keep coming back to. I just wish it was in widescreen. It feels like it should be. Maybe when it comes out on Blu-ray (yeah, right).


And yes, I did notice that our heroine is called Emu, pronounced 'ee-moo'. It's not as if she goes around attacking Michael Parkinson, so don't get your hopes up.
8/10
evlkeith




If you like this you could also try:
Brotherhood of the Wolf, Drive, Hard Boiled, The Killer.

The film's not in Spanish. I just couldn't resist this trailer.

Review - Necronomicon (1993 - Dir. Christophe Gans, Shusuke Kaneko, Brian Yuzna)

Necronomicon is an anthology based (loosely) on H.P. Lovecraft's work, with three parts, each directed by a different director. Brian Yuzna also directs the linking sections with the ubiquitous Jeffrey Combs (Re-Animator), in subtle facial make-up to play the part of Mr Lovecraft.

I saw this when it first came out and really enjoyed the first section, directed by Christophe Gans. I’ve seen it to buy for a while on DVD, but it’s always been really expensive, especially since I wasn’t that bothered about the other two segments. Finally, it has come down to a vaguely reasonable price. I was slightly nervous that my memory would let me down and it would all be rubbish.

Luckily, the Christophe Gans section still works today. Easily the best part. It has the right feeling for a Lovecraft tale and he’s worked miracles with what must have been a small budget. There are some ropey, very early CGI shots but the practical effects are great with some greasy tentacles and a huge one-eyed monster (oo-er).  Atmospheric throughout and a beautiful final shot. Christophe Gans was obviously destined for greater things.

The second section by Shusuke Kaneko is okay. It still retains the feel of Lovecraft, plus David Warner is in it. What is actually happening is fairly obvious from the start and the way that a young lady falls for an obviously mad older doctor, who just happens to be freezing cold to the touch, is a tad preposterous. Not the best of chat up lines: ‘Here. Feel my hands. They’re freezing cold. Are you intrigued to find out what else is a bit chilly?’ Works for him though so I can’t knock it. Standard issue but enjoyable.

Brian Yuzna has directed and produced some great films: Return of the Living Dead Part 3, Society and Re-Animator. The third section of this film seems to be the start of his tone becoming more unpleasant, with characters who you don’t care about, which carried on into his later films, such as Faust. He was probably ahead of his time as many modern horror films follow this trend now. The main problem with this section is that it doesn’t have a Lovecraftian feel and the creatures are laughable. It is a shame that the three parts get progressively worse.

The linking sequences in the library are fun, but rubbish. The ending is bonkers, but it does make you think that a full film involving Lovecraft killing monsters would be great. Definitely needs Jeffrey Combs to play him though.

As a total package, there’s a lot of Lovecraftian fun to be had. No section is truly awful and you could do a lot worse for a Friday night horror.

6/10 (1st section 7/10, 2nd section 6/10, 3rd section 4/10)

evlkeith
  

If you like this you could also try:
Re-Animator, Silent Hill, Brotherhood of the Wolf, Return of the Living Dead 3.

Review - Silent Hill (2006 - Dir. Christophe Gans)

Now, I know this is not the most popular of films, even amongst horror aficionados and fans of the original game, but it is a film I keep coming back to again and again. 

I played the original Silent Hill game on the Playstation some years ago and can't remember it exactly; however the film does give me similar feelings to my recollections of the game. 

Radha Mitchell plays the mother of a young, sleepwalking girl who constantly witters on about a place called Silent Hill. She takes her there and promptly loses her in an atmospheric and confusing place filled with a mist made of ash. A great deal of disturbing monster filled mist action ensues, the highlight being Pyramid Head; you wish there was more of him. The original ending was going to include loads of Pyramid Heads but due to budgetary reasons was changed to the current ending.

One of the most maligned parts of the film is the role that Sean Bean plays as the husband. Yes, he is Basil Exposition. Yes, the director didn't really want to include the character. But he does add to the sense of poignancy in the final scene so I don't mind him too much. And he's from Yorkshire. 


I have one question about the film. How is it rated as a 15 when there is a intimate scene including razor wire and a lady's privities? The Evil Dead was banned for far less and is still rated an 18 now.

Easily my favourite video game film (admittedly, there's not much competition) but also one of my all time favourite films. Writing this review makes me want to watch it again...
9/10
evlkeith




If you like this you could try:
The Mist, The Fog (1980), Brotherhood of the Wolf, Crying Freeman.