The Northman

 3.5/4

Starring: Alexander Skarsgard, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Ethan Hawke, Gustav Lindh, Willem Dafoe

Rated R for Strong Bloody Violence, Some Sexual Content and Nudity

"The Northman" takes no prisoners.  It's encouraging to know that there are filmmakers out there who refuse to make concessions for mainstream appeal.  Robert Eggers' latest film is harsh and brutal; it fearlessly risks getting an NC-17 and flouts conventional formulas.  This is not a film for everyone.  Far from it.  But those who venture in and surrender themselves to Eggers' atypical vision, they'll find their time well-rewarded.

Amleth (Oscar Novak) is the apple of his father's eye.  King Aurvandil War-Raven (Hawke) is preparing his son to inherit the throne.  As soon as the ritual is completed, the king is slain by his brother Fjolnir the Brotherless (Bang).  Fjolnir then slaughters the village and kidnaps Amleth's mother, Queen Gudrun (Kidman).  Amleth flees for his life.

As an adult, Amleth (Skarsgard) has taken a life of anonymity as he raids and pillages (as all good Vikings do).  After annihilating a village, he comes into contact with a mysterious Seeress (Bjork), who reminds him of his oath to avenge his father and informs him of his destiny to do so.  Amleth decides to confront his fate and enters into slavery under Fjolnir's rule.  There, he plots his revenge.

People have been calling "The Northman" a "Viking Hamlet."  And while The Bard's classic tragedy is clearly an influence, don't make the mistake of thinking that familiarity with the play will give away anything in the movie.  Eggers takes inspiration from other sources, ranging from Homer's "Odyssey" to "Gladiator."  Parts may be cobbled together from everywhere, but most movies are (just ask Quentin Tarantino).  But it's the way Eggers synthesizes his sources that makes the film unique and unpredictable.

One of the things that must be said about Robert Eggers is that he is uncompromising.  Neither of his two films, "The Witch" and "The Lighthouse," were conventional films.  "The Witch" was a horror film that concentrated more on atmosphere than gore, and used 400 year old transcripts as his script.  "The Lighthouse" was...well, who knows what the hell that movie was.  But the point is that Eggers embraces risk.  There are no tightropes for this filmmaker.  And while Eggers didn't have final cut (he was satisfied enough with the finished film that he isn't considering assembling a director's cut), it feels like he did.  This is a violent, weird and offbeat action picture that won't play by the rules.  It doesn't always work (his vision occasionally exceeds his grasp), as there are a few plot holes and the characters are kept at arm's length.  But it's riveting stuff.

Alexander Skarsgard's performances depend on the screenplay and the director.  More so than other actors.  When he's on his own, like in the unfortunate "War on Everyone" and the worthless "Hold the Dark," he looks like a deer caught in the headlights.  When he has a good script and a director with a consistent vision, he can be riveting (example: "The Kill Team").  With "The Northman," he's used effectively.  What he lacks in machismo he makes up for with raw intensity.  Anya Taylor-Joy adds some sex appeal and strength as a woman who won't be conquered.  And Nicole Kidman has fun going completely nuts.  Claes Bang only has to show up on screen to tell us he's bad to the bone.  Eggers brings along plenty of people he's worked with before.  In addition to having Taylor-Joy, he brings Katie Dickie and Ralph Ineson (her on-screen parents from that film) in for cameos.  Willem Dafoe, whom he cast in "The Lighthouse" has a small but important role in the early portion of the film.

Although it lacks the gravity of a truly gritty drama and the narrative can be choppy at times, I'm recommending it for a few reasons.  It takes chances, it doesn't compromise, and it's impossible to turn away from.  This is destined to be a cult film, but it's core audience is wider than it you might think.

Give it a shot.  You'll be surprised.  Probably.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Desert Flower

2/4 Starring: Liya Kebede, Sally Hawkins, Timothy Spall, Juliet Stevenson Rated R for Some Violent Content, A Scene of Sexuality and Language The problem with "Desert Flower" is not that Waris Dirie's story isn't suited for the cinematic treatment or that the actress playing her isn't acceptable.  The problem is that director Sherry Hormann doesn't do a good job of telling it.  This is a poorly focused film that can't decide what it wants to be about or what it wants to say. As is the case with many a true story, the life of Waris Dirie is too amazing to be made up by a Hollywood screenwriter.  This woman fled an arranged marriage as a child, spent years as a servant to a Somali diplomat in England, survived on the streets, and was discovered by a fashion photographer while working as a janitor.  Then she became a supermodel and UN Ambassador in the fight against female genital mutilation. Waris experienced a lot in her life.  Telling it all in a...
Read more

The Road

3.5/4 Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Charlize Theron Rated R for Some Violence, Disturbing Images and Language "The Road" has to be the most downbeat, depressing and cynical movie I've ever seen.  That's not meant as a criticism, but a fact.  This is a tough movie to get through, but not a chore.  Those who venture in will find their time well spent, albeit not in a necessarily pleasant way.  Then again, if a movie is based off a novel by Cormac McCarthy, "pleasant" isn't a word one would hope to be used to describe it. The film takes place after the world has ended.  How it happened is not explained because it doesn't matter.  But any hope of the Earth recovering from what happened has long since gone.  A man (Mortensen) and his son (Smit-McPhee) are travelling together, trying to "get to the coast."  There are few people left, although considering what many are doing with the goal of survival, that's a good thing...
Read more

My Left Foot

 2/4 Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Brenda Fricker, Ray McAnally, Fiona Shaw, Alison Whelan Rated R (probably for Language and Brief Violence) "My Left Foot" feels like one of those movies designed to win Oscars and nothing else.  In fact, it did win two Oscars for the immortal Daniel Day-Lewis and Brenda Fricker, but apart from their strong work, there's not much else to remember about this movie.  It's well-acted, but all in all it's pretty dull. Christy Brown (Day-Lewis) is getting recognized for his work in order to raise money for the disabled.  Despite being a talented artist and writer, Christy is not the ideal candidate for the job.  He's an alcoholic jerk who makes no secret of his lust for women nor is he above using his disability to manipulate people into doing what he wants.  Interspersed with his attempts to seduce a woman tasked with looking after him while he awaits his entrance are vignettes from his childhood.  Most notably how his mothe...
Read more