The Northman

Prince Amleth is on the verge of becoming a man when his father is brutally murdered by his uncle, who then kidnaps the boy's mother. Two decades later, Amleth is a Viking raiding Slavic villages, where he meets a seeress who reminds him of his vow… save his mother, kill his uncle, and avenge his father.

Practically apocalyptic in its setting, The Northman is a violent, brutal, dirty, intense, and absolutely fantastic tale of revenge that’s basically Viking Hamlet, or y’know… actual Hamlet, since the story of Amleth, a possibly real historical figure, as well as a medieval Scandinavian legend, is most likely the direct inspiration for the Bard’s well-known tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

Much like Lowery’s Green Knight, the tv show Britannia, and even Eggers’ two previous films to an extent, The Northman effortlessly blends historical accuracy with historical fiction, all with a kind of assumed “unreliable narrator” magical realism edge that I just love. It’s like: “Yes, of course the gods walk amongst us, and all of the legends of monsters and myths are actually true, and yes, I really did cast that spell because you can clearly see the effects of it happening all around us, but also… yes, we do eat A LOT of mushrooms, so…”

The cast is huge and impressive, and really throw themselves into the roles, many of which are actually very small parts, which is the mark of a filmmaker whose growing reputation is all the pitch veteran actors need to hear when considering joinging a project. The imagery is gorgeous, and much like Eggers’ previous films, it is stark and uncluttered, a very clean depiction of a time that was very, very muddy.

I continue to be impressed by Eggers, his work appears simple and straightforward, but that’s only due to the confidence and skill of master filmmaker, one whose talent and abilities seem to grow with each new outing.

In short, check out The Northman, it’s one of my favorites of the year, and if you haven’t seen The Witch or The Lighthouse either, then you should definitely add those to your list too.