Director: Nicholas Winding Refn
Stars: Mads Mikkelsen, Gary Lewis, Ewan Stewart, Maarten Stevenson
Norse warrior One-Eye (Mads Mikkelsen) is in captivity, forced to fight others in gladiatorial combat. He has visions of the future, a gift which helps him to escape. Followed by a boy named Are (Maarten Stevenson), he travels the countryside, before running into a group of crusaders on their way to Jerusalem. The crusaders enlist him for his might, and they all head to the Holy Land together. But what do these disturbing visions that One-Eye is seeing mean? If he has any inkling, he doesn't share it, for he never speaks. . .
My only previous exposure to Danish director Refn had been from watching the 2009 movie Bronson, a Clockwork Orange inspired visual assault, so I was completely unprepared for the spare, Von Trier-like minimalism on display here. (I know, I know. . . I need to watch the Pusher trilogy. Spare me, oh movie gods!) If the plot synopsis makes you think of Conan the Barbarian or Kingdom Of Heaven, please expunge that line of thought from your mind. Imagine instead the epic quest film as adapted by an artist such as David Lynch or Gus Van Sant. There is bloody violence, and men being men, but if you're going in expecting an action film you'll be sorely disappointed. This is slow, dialogue light, and more of a tone poem than anything else. This is artwank cinema, for good or ill.
There are several shots of men looking solemnly off into the distance, the beauty of nature surrounding them. Refn uses digital film to great effect here, since it gives a realist edge to the standard quest scenery. Instead of painterly images of masculinity conquering the forest, we have shots of dudes walking through the woods. Still epic, but feels more lived in.
The sound design is equally impressive, with the music and fx creating a droning, hypnotic vibration that lulls you into a state of total submission. I haven't smoked weed in several years, but I imagine it would go well with this.
Clearly, this movie means something to Refn, but what exactly? Shrug. There's certainly a great deal of symbolism, so an in depth analysis would be interesting, but I'm at a loss. Instead, I enjoy the film for it's dreamlike flow, its horrifying nihilism, and it's general uniqueness. Not for most tastes, but if it sounds at all interesting, I would recommend giving it a watch.
FREDERICK OPINES: GREAT
Valhalla Rising
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