Here’s a film that I very quickly decided I fancied seeing when I noticed the directorial credit—Robert Eggers, who gave us the interesting little malefic horror piece ‘The Witch’ and then one of my favorite films from the last few years with ‘The Lighthouse’. His style is immediately recognizable here, and it doesn’t disappoint—it’s his Viking-themed take on the original Hamlet tale with The Northman.
I suppose I might as well expound on said style first—Eggers has a knack for blurring the lines between reality and delirium well, through hallucinations or intoxications, complete with many an unsettling facial closeup. Much like in the Lighthouse, there’s no shortage of lavish shots, many of which here give us spectacular views of volcanic Icelandic landscapes—there’s some gorgeously grim images that immediately conjure something like John Martin’s apocalyptic painting. There’s constantly lingering supernatural elements that you’re left continually wondering about their tangibility, and much like The Witch’s use of Shakespearean English, there’s no hesitation in planting us into another age with the growling Norse accents on display—though some vocal performances work better than others as we’ll get to.
As for the storyline…well, as mentioned, it’s essentially Hamlet (or a much more satisfying live-action version of the Lion King, if you prefer!). Young prince Amleth has his royally privileged childhood cut short by the betrayal of his uncle Fjölnir (Claes Bang) against tribal king Aurvandill (Ethan Hawke). Sworn to avenge his mother (Nicole Kidman) and uncover the fate of his friend Heimir (played with Willem Defoe being as awesomely nuts as ever), Amleth grows up to be a berserker warrior for hire played by Alexander Skarsgard, seeking little in life beyond empty violence, until circumstance leads him on the track to vengeance. Around here he encounters on a raid Slavic seeress Olga (Anna Taylor Joy, putting on a Slavic accent that seems to be taking a rather tipsy tour on both sides of the Oder), who might just give him another purpose for living.
Compared to some certain romantic or overly fetishistic portrayals of the Viking age in recent times that I could think of, The Northman takes a refreshingly blunt route—not skimping on the cruel slave trades the economies Scandinavia ran on then, and all the other things we take as brutal and barbarous that were common. The characters are still people, of course, but even the fixation on dying by the sword for entry to Valhalla—something obsessed over even now in everything from slightly pretentious metal lyrics to certain contemporary subcultures lying on extreme political ends—is shown as ultimately a rather self-destructive thing that leaves a life less fulfilled.
Much of the film isn’t really to do with barbarians clashing in battle, though, but Amleth slowly biding his time while incognito as he tries to torment his quarry—once again, Eggers draws upon his experience in disturbing horror for some very memorable moments. At the same time, morality gets blurred, the cost of all he’s doing becomes apparent, and there’s one more twist on the legend it’s telling—even if, a little disappointingly, it doesn’t seem to have as much effect on our lead as you may expect. Perhaps that was the point, but still.
That aside, for atmosphere, Northman once again shows off Egger’s expertise there, and there’s enough bouts of surrealism combining drug-induced visions to images of ascending valkyries to keep you guessing as to what may come next. There’s even a dirge-singing cameo by Bjork, of all people, just to mix things up a little more. Going in with my expectations empty, I certainly enjoyed myself for the most part—brutal it may be, all the weirdness you’ve come to expect from the creator certainly goes a long way in making this a memorable take on an old story…
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