Robert Eggers is quickly making a name for himself in Hollywood. With both The Witch and The Lighthouse being big hits, Eggers is back with what’s by far his biggest film yet, and it’s definitely his best. This time it’s Viking Hamlet, only with a shedload more blood and guts.
The film opens in AD895 and we meet a young Amleth, the Viking warrior prince that was a direct inspiration for the Bard’s Prince of Denmark. As a child, Amleth witnesses his father (Ethan Hawke) get murdered by his uncle, Fjölnir (Claes Bang), and runs away, vowing to get revenge one day. Years later, Amleth returns, now played by a ripped Alexander Skarsgård, destined to avenge his father, save his mother (Nicole Kidman) and kill Fjölnir.
The Northman cuts out all the umming and ahing of Hamlet and dials up the scale tenfold. Eggers has crafted a film so large and extraordinary in scale that it’s one of the greatest revenge films in recent memory. Everything is so lovingly crafted by Eggers, such that the impeccable production design and gorgeous visuals make for an utterly captivating 137-minute-long ride.
The film is filled with so many incredibly brutal moments, including a game or some sort of sport that mainly involves charging into people and whacking them with clubs, and some vicious kills all culminating in a superb fight between two beasts of men stood there buck naked as a volcano erupts behind them, lava spewing everywhere. It really earns its 15 age certificate, but it’s certainly a spectacle to behold.
The Northman isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea and it makes this clear right away, with Ethan Hawke and a young Amleth crawling around on the floor, growling and burping at each other within the first ten minutes of the film. It’s a hard film to pick apart because if you’re able to sit there and just let all the Viking shouting and the booming drums of the film’s score completely take over you, it’s an absolute blast. The enormity of the scale and just how cinematic this film is takes you aback, leaving you shocked. You leave the cinema just needing to lie down for a while because of its intensity.
And that intensity comes about because of all the wonderful technical elements of the film coming together to create something so cinematic. The sound design is flawless, with the chilling sound of the wind combined with the slashing of swords and skin being ripped open rippling around the room. The musical score transports you into the world of the film completely, picking you up by the throat and refusing to let go because of the sheer power and force at which the drums beat.
The film boasts an impressive cast, including Anya Taylor-Joy and Icelandic singer Björk, but it’s really Skarsgård’s leading performance that elevates the film. He provides the fiery brute strength of Amleth and the determination to avenge his father’s death. Does Eggers over-indulge in his berserk vision at times? Possibly, yes, but he presents it all with such confidence and self-assurance that you can let some of the absurdity of what’s going on slide.
The Northman is a visually striking and lovingly crafted film that’s a truly spectacular tale of revenge. It’s totally bonkers and the sheer brutality and intensity of it all is a sight to behold, but it’s utterly captivating and enchanting.
The Northman is released in UK cinemas on Friday, April 15.