The Northman Review

 

Certificate: 15

Running time: 137 minutes 

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

Directed by: Robert Eggers

The story: After his father is brutally murdered, a son sets out on a violent quest to avenge him.

The verdict: Robert Eggers has already shown with his previous films that he has incredible visual flair and one wondered what he might be able to achieve if given the budget of a blockbuster. Would Eggers auteurism  somehow get lost in amongst studio expectations? Thankfully the answer to that is a resounding no.

The Northman is a visual spectacle. Set in the Nordic wilds, the scenery and setting is a character within itself. Stark yet stunning, every scene is elevated by the vistas. Eggers once again joins forces with cinematographer Jarin Blaschke, who he also worked with on The Lighthouse and The VVitch, and the cinematography is sublime. The Northman is so well crafted and well shot and it looks fantastic. 

The cast of The Northman is really strong but it is Alexander Skarsgård who really stands out. In his role as a bereaved and betrayed son, he is vengeance and pain come to life and his fury is tangible. Skarsgård doesn’t have an abundance of dialogue but that doesn’t matter because he says so much in body language and looks, and at some points even with roars and grunts.

The Northman is incredibly brutal, bloody and nihilistic. This certainly isn’t one for the faint hearted and its relentless savagery may be slightly off putting for some audiences.

The Northman is based on the legend of Amleth, which is the source of which Shakespeare based his play Hamlet on. For those coming to this with Hamlet in mind, be advised that that may be a slightly foolhardy way to approach The Northman. Where Shakespeare is lengthy prose, formality and civility, The Northman is its antithesis. The Northman is animalistic, carnal and chaotic. 

Overall, The Northman is another incredibly accomplished film from Eggers and it will be really exciting to see what he does next.

The rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️