Revenge is a tale as old as time and often a dish best served cold. So it certainly makes sense that Robert Eggers new film The Northman is filmed in the land of the Vikings. A bold retelling of the legend of Amleth (the inspiration for Shakespeare’s Hamlet), the film centers on on Prince Amleth and his quest for revenge after he witnesses his father’s murder at the hands of his uncle.
Robert Eggers has established himself as a master of mood and tone since he dragged us by our eyebrows with The VVitch. Here, he’s working with a much broader canvas and a sizable budget, and acquits himself astoundingly well. This is one of the most well directed movies of the year so far, and his understanding of composition and storytelling helps take what is a very simple story to immense heights. I was dazzled by the imagery but also in how he maintains tension and directs the performances.
But it’s not just Eggers who is at the top of his game, the movie is a complete production, with not a single element failing the film. Jarin Blaschke’s cinematography calls to mind The Revenant for it’s beautiful, brutal realism, but goes beyond to feel more lived in. The sound department and composers compliment the visuals with some really fascinating sound design choices and a mix of score and sound that bother heightened the drama as well as laid the foundation for the action oriented scenes. I was lucky enough to see this in Dolby Atmos and I’d encourage you to run to see it in the best theater you can.
Alexander Skarsgård has always been able to use his physical presence in his roles in very interesting ways. Here in The Northman, he’s not just the biggest person in the cast but literally the largest man, on which the movie rests of his very large shoulders. That physicality lends itself well to action, but also to characterization, as Skarsgård finds new ways into the character simply by holding himself in a different way. But lest you think he’s just a hulking mass of revenge, he is able seamlessly weave in his character’s inner struggle and psychological motivations. It’s very fascinating to watch.
The supporting cast is filled with a mix of strong character work, led namely by Anya Taylor-Joy and Claes Bang. As the lover and uncle, respectively, both represent opposing forces in Amleth’s life. I loved what both of those actors brought to the table.
There’s really one glaring problem with the movie and that’s in the back half. Due to the single minded nature of the quest, the movie struggles to make it to its climax without a few bumps in the road. While the narrative decisions all make sense, there comes a point in the film where it sort of needs to reach a natural conclusion and the script by Eggers and Sjón can’t quite get there as seamlessly as they would like. But thankfully for audiences, the movie rights itself just when it needs to, delivering a satisfying conclusion to this epic tale.