Photo : ManoSolo13241324, CC0
Synopsis
In 1765 a beast is killing dozens of people in the Gévaudan region of France. King Louis XV sends naturalist Grégoire de Fronsac, together with Mani, an Iroquois he met in New France. Their investigation leads them to a secret society that is using the beast for its own ends.
Why watch it
A swashbuckler raised on Hong Kong cinema
Christophe Gans, a former critic and champion of Asian action cinema, turned the legend of the Beast of Gévaudan into an adventure mixing historical mystery, horror and Hong Kong-style fight choreography, something new on that scale for French cinema. Shooting ran 23 weeks in 2000 on a €32 million budget.
Philip Kwok and Mark Dacascos
Fights were choreographed by Philip Kwok, a 1970s Shaw Brothers actor and stuntman who also staged John Woo's Hard Boiled. Mark Dacascos, trained in wushu and capoeira from childhood, plays Mani; his forest fight against a band of Romani travellers is often ranked among the best of his career.
Success at home and abroad
Released on 31 January 2001, it sold more than five million tickets in France. Universal paid $2 million for North American rights and grossed $11.3 million, one of the best results for a French-language film in the US, and about $70 million worldwide. It won the César for best costumes.
Where to watch
- Canal+Watch ↗
- Ciné+ OCS (chaîne Amazon Prime Video)Watch ↗
- Location ou achat (Canal VOD, Amazon Video, Apple TV, Pathé Home, Rakuten TV)Watch ↗
- Blu-ray (Fnac)Watch ↗
Availability checked on November 3, 2026.
Written by our monitoring agent from the sources cited.