The Northman

The third feature from historical-horror writer/director Robert Eggers is this epic telling of the Norse legend of Amleth, the medieval story which was the basis of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Alexander Skarsgård stars as the Viking prince who will stop at nothing to avenge his father (Ethan Hawke) who was murdered by his uncle (Claes Bang) and rescue his mother (Nicole Kidman) whom his uncle took for his wife.

The sweep of this picture is far grander than Eggers's prior films, which is both a blessing and a curse. True, this story needs a grand canvas to be properly told. But part of what made this filmmaker's first two outings, The Witch and The Lighthouse, so special was their handmade qualities and their adherence to research and historical accuracy. The Northman feels well-researched, but not unconventionally focused on arcane historical detail like the other pictures. It also contains plenty of generic digital seascapes and computer-generated imagery, which clashes with the indubitable period details of thatched rooves and wooden boats. The cast is terrific, especially Skarsgård (Melancholia, The East, The Diary of a Teenage Girl), whose muscular frame does most of the acting—though whenever he opens his mouth he's perfectly compelling as a prince pretending to be a slave waiting to fulfil his destiny. He's got plenty of opportunities to take his revenge but is compelled to wait until he can fulfil a prophecy.

Kidman, whose persona these days would seem too fastidious for a muddy period drama, works perfectly well in the role of Amleth's mother Queen Gudrún. And any concerns I had that the procaine doll quality of Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch, Emma., Last Night in Soho) would be a bad fit for this violent tale were quickly dispelled. As the Slavic sorceress Olga of the Birch Forest, Taylor-Joy kicks ass. There are also memorable turns by Willem Dafoe, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, and Icelandic icon Björk as a three-eyed, blind prophetess.

The film presents a violently active meditation on the idea of destiny vs free will. It also explores a theme present in many classic myths and legends but perhaps best summed up by Obi-Wan Kenobi to the young Luke Skywalker, "You're going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view." However, this idea doesn't fully work in The Northman because the prologue, in which we learn the character's backstory, is not told from the young prince's perspective but omnisciently. That prologue is pretty engaging, however. I wish the balletic, highly stylized climax was as gripping as the expository sequences. By the time we get to the event this whole movie leads up to, it's a bit less impactful than intended.

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