When one thinks of French cinema, it's easy to imagine films occupied with stuffy characters and unexciting, artsy narratives. Sure, there are crossover hits like "Amelie" and, to a lesser extent, "With a Friend Like Harry," but those were enjoyed by American audiences despite their unmistakable "French-ness."

Christophe Gans' "Brotherhood of the Wolf" (Le Pacte des Loups), on the other hand, seems tailor-made for the local multiplexes. The relatively inexperienced director clearly does not follow in line with his native predecessors. More akin to Spielberg and McTiernan than Truffaut, Gans' "Brotherhood" is as American as a French film can get.

The story is based upon actual events surrounding the Beast of Gevaudan, a creature that killed dozens of women and children in a remote French town in the mid 18th century. From 1764 to 1767, the beast preyed on the village until an incredibly large wolf was killed by hired hunters and put on display to show that it's terror had finally come to an end. The attacks, of course, continued, but they were hushed up, supposedly by King Louis XV.

That's what the history books say, but fiction takes over with the arrival of Fronsac (Samuel Le Bihan), a handsome adventurer and naturalist who is enlisted to help track down and kill the beast. Accompanying Fronsac is his friend Mani (Mark Dacascos), a mystical American Indian martial artist (figure that one out), whose first scene is a slow motion, rain-drenched kung-fu fracas with some unsavory locals. This sequence, in all of its over-the-top action glory, gives you a good indication of where "Brotherhood of the Wolf" is headed.

The script by Stephane Cabel and Gans serializes the story into a more than two hour-long genre mish-mash, combining horror, adventure, martial arts action, melodrama and fantasy, with a dash of political intrigue. Gans could have easily made a simple thriller, but instead he infuses the narrative with the aforementioned elements and everything from bordellos to French history. Is the story of the Beast a precursor to the French Revolution? Probably not, but it definitely makes things more interesting.

Like any foreign film, the subtitles are an unfortunate distraction from the action on screen, and it's especially a shame in "Wolf's" case because of its fast-paced action and beautiful cinematography. The gritty, rich images have nearly the same look as those in "The Fellowship of the Ring." This and the film's other technical aspects certainly make the movie visually entertaining, made even more so by the liberties Gans takes with other film styles. As surprising as it may sound, the monster movie-martial arts-period epic combination actually works.

While the film also contains credible performances (Dacascos delivers a quiet but intense turn as Mani) and an ominously intriguing atmosphere, it seems Gans' team has evidently spent too much time endeared towards Michael Bay. The film is over-produced and full of cheap cinematic artifice — such as absurdly dramatic slow motion and overbearing sound effects. It's a shame, because with a more assured technique, some of the action could've approached the stirring vision of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."

In the end, "Wolf," like a lot of Hollywood blockbusters, is little more than a B movie with A movie production values. The plot introduces lame characters without motives, becomes contrived, climaxes in a humdrum staged duel to the death, and finally overstays its welcome trying to tidy everything up.

Essentially a big American movie filtered through the artistic lens of its French origins, "Brotherhood of the Wolf's" limited release belies its commercial and marketable aspirations. Gans has a promising career in Hollywood if he wants one. -- Three shamrocks (out of five)

Contact Matt Nania at mnania@nd.edu.

• Critics attend Kidman's `Birthday'
  
• Avoid `Slackers' at all costs
  
• French `Brotherhood' is made for America