It's Grim Up North

The Northman (Robert Eggers, 2022)

Been hyped for Robert Eggers' norse saga for a while now. Two consecutive hits in a row; his feaure length debut, The Witch (2015), is what I consider a classic and the best horror film of the 2010s; while his lovecraftian sophomore effort, The Lighthouse (2019), was another top quality film. Therefore, you could say I was more than a little bit anxious to see Eggers' first foray into a bigger budget and mainstream effort; especially with rumours abound with Eggers being discontent with the editing of his film, since the studio had final cut on the film. For what it's worth, there doesn't seem like any obvious studio tampering on screen or any transparent compromise.

The Northman is based on an ancient norse tale; one that Shakespeare's Hamlet was inspired upon, telling the story of Amleth, a viking prince out to avenge the death of his father by his murderous uncle, Fjölnir. Eggers is well suited to tell this revenge saga, since his two previous films, both of which period pieces, also exhibit his penchant to exude his trademark uncompromising gritty style. I mean that with utmost sincerity, since some scenes are profoundly shocking; even for someone like me. The burdening weight of payback rests heavily on the revenge-fuelled mind of Alexander Skarsgård's Amleth. The brutal savagery and exotic customs of the norse way of life help realise a world we should all be thankful we no longer are a part of. 

What with it being a recent film and without delving into serious plot spoilers, The Northman is a revenge film that I would never have expected to be made in this day and age. I watched this over the same weekend as Death Wish II (1982) and both of those films pose a very obvious quandary: whether the wronged can move on and find happiness, or allow revenge to ultimately consume them? As much as I love Michael Winner's sequel and consider it the best in the franchise, The Northman does handle this dilemma with a more mature and less exploitative manner. In the case of Amleth, he doesn't just flirt between the fine line of an antihero and villain, but actively acknowledges these divergent paths.

Strong performance from Skarsgård as the film's protagonist. It's all too easy to blurt on about how much he bulked up and got really hench for this physical role, but, more importantly, the range of his acting prowess displays he's a considerable talent should the right role come along - like this one. This is perhaps his best performance I've seen him in, thus far. The supporting cast is also really good; not quite sure what Anya Taylor-Joy's accent was meant to be, but she was great, regardless. Claes Bang as Fjölnir The Brotherless, the film's antagonist, almost manifests into a sympathetic character by the end of the film. It's also great to see him in a more serious role compared to his poor choice of Carry On... like performance as the titular character in the asinine Dracula (2020). Not sure what happened to Nicole Kidman's face, but she seems to be suffering from Lady Cassandra O'Brien Δ17 Syndrome. She was great in it, though, and it's hard going into any real depth regarding her role without giving anything away. Willem Defore was in his natural element as shamanistic jester Heimir The Fool. Also worth noting that Bjork was surprisingly well cast in her fleeting cameo as a weirdo prophetess of doom.

The sweeping vistas, the natural elements and a butt nekkid Anya Taylor-Joy in a hotpool; it's all breathtakingly beautiful for what's essentially a gritty revenge saga.Visually, it's all so very striking, Jarin Blaschke's photography is on some Roger Deakins type cinematography porn. It's a big reason why I'm skipping the eventual blu-ray release and coppin' the 4K UHD instead.

Robert Eggers is three for three for me. The hottest writer/director working in the industry right now. The change in pacing might be problematic for the Ritalin masses, or those who mistakenly expected an all out action flick, but this was perfectly tailored from the usual shite that Hollywood tends to bombard us with. Eggers knows how to make movies which just plug into my cerebral cortex and stimulate the old grey matter. That's a compliment I use incredibly sparsely in this day and age. It's a shame Nosferatu fell through, as it was one of those rare times that I would have been looking forward to a remake.

EDIT:

Didn't realise until much later on that Sight and Sound used the same title for their review of the film. Should have stuck with 'Up North Trip' as my original title. Oh well.