Pacte des Loups, Le (2001) - Synopsis
BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF (LE PACTE DES LOUPS) tells the story of events that took place during the reign of Louis XV. In an isolated district of south-central France, the "Beast of Gévaudan" is blamed for the savage deaths of over 100 people, mostly women and children. As panic sweeps across the region, the King sends his finest military minds to Gévaudan to flush out the Beast and kill it.
The year is 1766. Brilliant young natural scientist Grégoire de Fronsac (Samuel Le Bihan) is sent to Gévaudan by the King to build a portrait of the Beast which has been terrorizing the region.
Accompanied by his blood brother Mani (Mark Dacascos), an Iroquoi Indian he met while serving in the Americas, Fronsac finds the King's soldiers incapable of tracking the Beast through the densely forested hills of Gévaudan.
young noble, Marquis Thomas d'Apcher (Jérémie Rénier), who holds a banquet in their honor, where Fronsac meets and falls in love with the beautiful Marianne de Morangias (Emilie Dequenne), the daughter of a local aristocrat.
As ever more savage deaths are reported, the locals become convinced that they are the work of the devil. Aided by Mani's intuitive skills, however, Fronsac begins to build a picture of the Beast. It is not a monster, nor a wolf, but probably some kind of wild animal, trained to kill to order.
Meanwhile, Jean-François de Morangias, who is jealous of Fronsac's relationship with his sister, succeeds in driving them apart. Fronsac takes comfort in the arms of the beautiful, but highly mysterious courtesan Sylvia (Monica Bellucci).
After another gruesome killing, Louis XV sends Beauterne, his Lord Lieutenant, to personally supervise the capture of the Beast. Within days, he proclaims his mission a success. The Beast has been killed. When he calls Fronsac into stuff the Beast for display in Paris, the scientist realizes that Beauterne has merely slaughtered a wolf. Nonetheless, he is persuaded to participate in the cover-up. The King cannot allow his authority to be undermined Officially, the Beast is now dead and everyone can return to Paris.
The following spring, when Thomas informs him that the killings have continued unabated, Fronsac cannot resist returning to Gévaudan in the secret hope of winning back Marianne. But first, he and Mani must fight to the death to expose the devilish secret society that has unleashed the Beast on the region in order to secure the terrified populace's unswerving allegiance.
