The Northman

This bold and atmospheric retelling of the Old Norse legend of Amleth is perhaps unlikely to appeal to everyone given its idiosyncratic direction, graphic violence and stylised performances, but it’s also far more accessible, entertaining and visceral than last year’s superficially similar mythological epic, The Green Knight.

Premise: In 895 AD, young Prince Amleth has to flee his kingdom after he witnesses the murder of his father, King Aurvandill (Ethan Hawke), by his uncle Fjölnir (Claes Bang). Years later, after having been raised by a band of Vikings as a berserker warrior, the adult Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård) finally finds an opportunity to fulfil his vow to avenge his father, murder his uncle, and rescue his mother (Nicole Kidman), with help from an enigmatic slave (Anya Taylor-Joy).

Review:

I’m no historian, but I was interested to learn that The Northman is based on an old Scandinavian legend from around the 10th to 12th Century, which itself was the inspiration for Shakespeare’s Hamlet (Shakespeare wasn’t even subtle with the name change from Amleth to Hamlet). This adaptation is co-written by director Robert Eggers and Icelandic author Sjón, and it definitely aims to capture the stylised tone and atmosphere of an epic medieval legend.

This means that you should not be expecting this to be a mainstream “commercial” film (and certainly some of the marketing I’ve seen which compares this film to Gladiator is way off the mark). The performances are not subtle or nuanced, and instead are larger-than-life – mythical, even – with kings speaking in grand proclamations, and everyone turning their dials up to 11. It does take a while to tune into this performance style, which can even feel a little hammy until you do, but once you settle into the tone of the film, you can appreciate that the actors involved are intentionally playing mythological architypes rather than grounded characters.

“…Robert Eggers’ directing is intentionally stylised…”

The same is true of Robert Eggers’ directing style, which is intentionally stylised and staged rather than being handheld or naturalistic. Again, the earlier scenes are perhaps the most jarring, as the audience is still adjusting to the film’s idiosyncrasies when we’re presented with the sight of King Aurvandill (Ethan Hawke) and his young son Prince Amleth taking part in an animalistic, drug-induced, spiritual ceremony with the King’s Fool Heimir (Willem Dafoe) – but stick with it, because things do settle down a bit as the film progresses (either that, or I just became more attuned to the eccentric tone as the film went on). And while I’m on the subject of the direction, I have to praise Robert Eggers’ work in the action scenes, where he stages several very impressive and expansive fight sequences in long, uninterrupted takes.

And once you get passed the ‘over-the-top' style of acting, the cast all do a great job of bringing their architypes to life. Alexander Skarsgård has turned himself into a beast of a man to play Amleth as a Viking berserker, and he leaves you in no doubt that he really could (and would) rip a man’s throat out with his teeth. Arguably the next most memorable performance is Anya Taylor-Joy as Olga of the Birch Forest, a slave who allies herself with Amleth to aid him in his quest for vengeance against her oppressors. Nicole Kidman also appears to enjoy sinking her teeth into her role as Queen Gudrún, as does Claes Bang as Amleth’s villainous uncle, while Ethan Hawke and Willem Dafoe appear in memorable cameos in the opening section of the film. And it any more evidence of the film’s eccentricity was needed, Björk even makes an appearance as a mysterious Seeress.

“…the film is more deliberately paced than I was expecting…”

The scene with Björk does a lot to establish the lore of The Northman, as this is not a world where magical beasts roam the landscape like in Beowulf, but it is a world where prophesies are set in stone and fates cannot be avoided. This all adds to the mythic tone of the film, as well as explaining why Amleth doesn’t simply exact his revenge by murdering Fjölnir in his sleep.

In that regard, the film is also perhaps more deliberately paced than I was expecting (or than the marketing implied). Yes, there is an impressive action sequence depicting a Viking raid in the opening section, but after that, the rest of the film is more of a slow-build with flashes of violence, rather than being an action film per se. Amleth’s quest for vengeance involves slowly infiltrating Fjölnir’s new life to destroy it from the inside in order to fulfil the prophesy, rather than simply rushing into a physical confrontation as soon as he finds him.

“…a far more accessible & enjoyable watch…”

Overall, I did feel that there were a lot of similarities between The Northman and last year’s The Green Knight (also adapted from a medieval legend), but at the same time, they are both very different films. Both films are from directors with very individual and recognisable styles, who present images unlike anything else you’re likely to see, but in a way that may prevent some viewers from connecting with the material. Both films involve stylised performances that may take some viewers out of the film, and both are fundamentally indie films rather than commercial blockbusters.

But whereas The Green Knight was likely to leave a significant chunk of the audience baffled as to what they just watched, The Northman is a far more accessible and enjoyable watch. At no point (other than perhaps during the animalistic spiritual ritual) are you like to wonder what the hell is going on, and by the end, there’s no confusion about what actually happened. With The Northman, even if you are never able to quite settle into its stylised tone, you can still sit back and enjoy the visceral action sequences, impressive location shooting, and mythical qualities of this historical epic – and it you are able to embrace its eccentricity, it really is a special and unique piece of filmmaking.