Valhalla Rising (2009)

Drama, Adventure, Fantasy

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Writers: Nicolas Winding Refn, Roy Jacobsen, Matthew Read
Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Alexander Morton, Stewart Porter, Maarten Stevenson

"And Now For Something Completely Different"

Before Drive and Only God Forgives and after Bronson, Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn has made this dark and violent medieval-themed drama, starring Mads Mikkelsen (The Hunt, Hannibal).

In 1000 AD, a mute Viking warrior named One Eye (Mikkelsen) is being held captive by a Norse chieftain who forces him to fight to the death against captives of other clans. After managing to kill his captors and escape with the help of a boy slave, he runs into a a band of Christian crusaders and travels with them in pursuit of the Holy Land. Instead, the warriors reach a strange and unfamiliar shore, where savages start stalking them one by one in increasingly violent ways.

Rather a peculiar though fascinating art house excursion than a history lesson, with a haunting and dark atmosphere courtesy of writer-director Refn, and an extremely convincing performance from Mikkelsen as the one-eyed visionary Viking warrior, even though he does not speak a word throughout the entire film, Valhalla Rising is one of those movies some won't have patience for, but will convince many to watch it over and over.

Plot summary from IMDb: 1000 AD, for years, One Eye, a mute warrior of supernatural strength, has been held prisoner by the Norse chieftain Barde. Aided by Are, a boy slave, One Eye slays his captor and together he and Are escape, beginning a journey into the heart of darkness. On their flight, One Eye and Are board a Viking vessel, but the ship is soon engulfed by an endless fog that clears only as the crew sights an unknown land. As the new world reveals its secrets and the Vikings confront their terrible and bloody fate, One Eye discovers his true self.

Awards: 4 wins & 9 nominations.
Runtime: 93 min
NOT R