‘The Northman’ Review
Stars: Alexander Skarsgard, Nicole Kidman, Ethan Hawke, Claes Bang, Anya Taylor-Joy, Gustav Lindh, Elliott Rose, Willem Dafoe, Phill Martin, Eldar Skar | Written by Robert Eggers, Sjon | Directed by Robert Eggers
Robert Eggers creates worlds you can feel, and worlds that feel like they can reach out and feel you back. From his first chilling tale The Witch (2015), and his maddening dream that followed in The Lighthouse (2019), Eggers has once again crafted a world that you can’t take your eyes away from.
The Northman blends our world with the mythic, mystical world of Norse mythology. A world that conjures both madness, and delightful daring as we follow Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård) on a blood-soaked revenge quest that embodies both the madness and mythicality from Eggers’ previous work. From the eyes of a young boy (Oscar Novak) to “many years later”, Amleth vows revenge on his uncle (Claes Bang) after he kills Amleth’s father in order to take the throne from the king (Ethan Hawke). After witnessing the treachery Amleth vows “I will avenge you father, I will save you mother, I will kill you Fjölnir” and this journey of revenge takes us plunging into a world of blood, and beauty, as we follow Amleth on his journey. The beauteous side of this journey takes us to some breathtaking locations, shot beautifully by the film’s cinematographer Jarin Blaschke, who shot Eggers previous films. These places we go to add depth to the world-building, and many left me in astonishment and wonder, but more importantly hammered home, with Thor-like intensity, just how real this world was becoming and how trapped in the landscape I was.
We follow Amleth through these beautifully shot locations, like “The land of Rus” which makes play for a Scotland long-past, and where we find Amleth played by Alexander Skarsgård. When we meet Skarsgård he resembles the green member of The Avengers more than his Norse cousin, as his hulking physic is both intimidating and impressive. This first meeting makes room for one of the film’s many long takes. These long shots made me feel like I was being dragged along on this violent quest for revenge, as if I had no choice and nothing could stop both Amleth and the camera on the way to their destiny. It’s one of many shots that also leave you in awe of the complexity of the craft, but never feel like they were there to show off. They always felt like they were serving the story, propelling the brutal violence towards the end goal.
From the maddening violence to the mystical dark arts, it’s no secret that Robert Eggers is a fan of all things that embody folklore and mythology; after all this is the Scandinavian folk tale that inspired William Shakespeare to write Hamlet. Although Amleth doesn’t embody the madness of his Shakespearean successor, the film itself does: from the strange yet terrific cameo from Willem Dafoe, to Olga (Anya Taylor-Joy) who confesses to Amleth “your strength brakes men’s bones, I have the cunning to bark their minds”. This line seems to capture much of the motifs of the film for me, as we balance between the graphic and brutal viking violence to the very stairs of Valhalla presenting themselves in shots and sequences. All of which left me hypnotised in a strange, out of body experience that felt like I was being pulled into the film.
It’s another fantastic film from Eggers who remains an exciting filmmaker. This film is easily his most accessible to the general audience members, who will love the viking action. For me, it’s the brilliant balance Eggers has found between a violent revenge epic and a spellbinding trance into the Norse world that has kept this film on my mind for days.
***** 5/5
The Northman is in cinemas now.
