The Northman (2022)

 

Vikings have always held a special place in cinema history, as they are a remnant of a past that lends itself easily to dramatisation. Unfortunately, there's also a lot of poetic licence involved.

Which is why it is so rare to see a film actually stick as close as possible to historically accurate depictions, instead of going for the romanticised version most people only know from the hit series 'Vikings'. 

Also: this is just one heck of an awesome film. But if you have ever seen another project of Robert Eggers, you will no doubt understand why.

'The Northman' tells the tale of prince Amleth, the story that Shakespeare based his 'Hamlet' on. 

Yes, that one.

Young prince Amleth's father is slain by his brother Fjölnir and Amleth runs away. Several years later, he resurfaces in a band of Berserkir warriors in the land of Rus, killing and enslaving people. Here, Amleth discovers Fjölnir and his mother are now on Iceland after having been driven away by king Harald. So Amleth 'disguises' himself as a slave on the ship bound for Iceland. Here he also meets Olga of the Birch Forest (Anya Taylor-Joy), a feisty woman whom he quickly grows attached to. Once in Iceland and Fjölnir's colony; Amleth makes himself indispensable by day, yet manages to get hold of a mythical sword and kills several of Fjölnir's troupe at night. 

The quest for vengeance comes to a close, but now he has Olga, Amleth does begin to question his fate to die at Hel's Gates in combat... 

If you have ever read or heard of 'Hamlet', you know where it all is going. But still.

Eggers does knock it out of the park with this one - again. This film looks breathtaking, helped immensely by the vistas of Iceland, of course. The colourschemes click. Not only that but wardrobe, weapons, buildings: they are all constructed with an insane eye for detail and close scrutiny to the historical accuracy. Eggers is a very visual storyteller and he gets to display that with full gusto here yet again. It is also a lot of fun that the story is interspersed with mythical touches and some magic, making this an almost dreamlike tale of revenge that still feels very grounded.

Nice touch.

But this wouldn't work without some solid performances and in that respect 'The Northman' also delivers in spades. Alexander Skarsgard is excellent as Amleth, starting out as hellbent for revenge and gradually becoming more human instead of the wolflike Berserkir he first was. Anya Taylor-Joy is especially good as Olga. But she's rarely underperforming. Quite the contrary. And then there are great turns by Nicole Kidman and a fairly short yet memorable passage of both Willem Dafoe and Bjork. 

But even though this is in essence a story about a conflicted young man, there are scenes of visceral brutality. The one-shot take of the assault on the Slavic village is brutal and throughout this film there are visceral decapitations, disembowelments and nasty things happening to noses, guaranteed to make people squirm. So you get some gore with your drama, how about that?

Robert Eggers is not just a director: he is an artist who delivers memorable and engaging stories with touches of otherworldly magic. It's really cool stuff and perhaps 'The Northman' is his most accessible to date. It is - in any case - highly recommended viewing.