"The Northman" review — Viking revenge epic is brutal, bloody, and masterful

“From the day we found you as a pup I knew your heart was as cold as iron.”

This film was featured in my Best Films of 2022 list.

A symphony of blood and ruin, The Northman is a violent, fiery trip back in time to Northern Europe circa the early middle ages. Loosely based on the Scandinavian legend that inspired Shakespeare’s Hamlet, The Northman is far from a familiar telling of the now timeless tale of a son seeking revenge. From the moment our “hero” Prince Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård) participates in the slaughter of an isolated Rus village, we become aware that in his dirty, muddy vision of history, there are no true heroes. The third feature film from filmmaker Robert Eggers, the writer-director behind The Lighthouse (2019) and The Witch (2015), Eggers finds another alienating depiction of the past as a backdrop to a ruthless revenge epic. Although perhaps less specific and sharp than his previous work, The Northman proves Eggers again to be one of the most exciting new filmmakers working today.

With a core premise well-documented in the many adaptations of Hamlet and the animated classic The Lion King (1994), here, the vengeful son is the thought-dead Prince Amleth (played as a child by Oscar Novak and as an adult by Alexander Skarsgård), the evil uncle is Fjölnir the Brotherless (Claes Bang), and the murdered father is King Aurvandill War-Raven (Ethan Hawke). As a child, the young Amleth, still learning the ways of the world, witnesses the murder of his father. After an attack on his own life, he flees across the sea where he is found by a band of Vikings. Once he reaches adulthood, Amleth is spurred into action by a mysterious seeress (Björk) and, with the help of slave Olga of the Birch Forest (Anya Taylor-Joy), he journeys to his uncle’s new home in Iceland and begins a reign of terror in hopes of fulfiling his destiny.

Ethan Hawke in The Northman. Photo: Focus Features.

The cast of The Northman is excellent across the board. Alexander Skarsgård is perfectly wild and angry as the less-than-regal Amleth. Anya Taylor-Joy, returning to the Eggers fold after her performance in The Witch, finds a blend of strength and intelligence that makes Olga such an interesting character. Nicole Kidman, who is unfortunately relegated too much to the sidelines, is fantastic as the conniving Queen Gudrún, Amleth’s mother. Ethan Hawke and Willem Dafoe are both welcome additions to the star-studded ensemble, with Dafoe being particularly excellent in his small part as Heimir the Fool. Claes Bang is terrifying and imposing as antagonist Fjölnir and musician Björk, in her first feature film role since Dancer in the Dark (2000), rounds out the cast in her small but equally memorable performance as the Seeress.

The technical elements of The Northman are rich and wonderful. There is great attention to detail in the production and art design. The score is full of maddening war drums and angry, mesmerizing throat singing and tribal chanting. The costumes, designed by Linda Muir, are superb as well with their intricate nordic designs. The cinematography by Jarin Blaschke, who has worked with Eggers on all three of his movies, is astounding with the night-set scenes, in particular, standing out. The nighttime sequences of The Northman are drenched in silver light and harsh shadows, with the fire and the stars augmented to appear so much brighter. It adds a peculiar shade of magic to the visual presentation.

Alexander Skarsgård and Anya Taylor-Joy in The Northman. Photo: Focus Features.

Perhaps one of the most interesting parts of Eggers’ filmography is how alienating and unique his depictions of the past are. Eggers seeps his films in the culture and mindsets of the people occupying these historical times creating an experience totally unlike other filmic historical adventures. The Northman is largely stripped of any unnecessary 21st-century trappings making its depiction of 10th-century Scandanavia writhe with pure Viking anger. It’s as uncontrollable as a roaring volcano and as vicious as a wolf with the blood still fresh on the grassy hills. Even the motivations of the characters, pushed by destiny rather than justice, are so different from one what expect from heroes today. The ultimate struggle isn’t between some arbitrary notion of good and evil but between love for your family and hate for your enemies. The strangeness of the world-building, too, makes the film into something not quite of this world.

Set somewhere between the spirit world and the physical, The Northman finds itself generically at the crossroads between historical drama and fantasy. Set in a time when the world seemed all the more magical and wild. There are moments of magic and surrealism here. As a child, Amleth participates in a strange trance with his father and Heimir the fool and, as an adult, he is greeted by visions of his family tree and of a Valkarie carrying him to heaven. Olga practices a type of Earthly magic, Amleth encounters a He-Witch, and there is the sequence with the Seeress. But what makes these moments of magic all the more palpable is that the film ultimately grounds itself in a thick layer of iron and water and dirt and blood and fire. The surrealism is offset by the crushing foot of a callous, violent physical existence all refined through the single-mindedness of Amleth’s drive for vengeance.

Photo: Focus Features.

Revenge is a simple enough task. Or, at least it is in theory. The film’s narrative, in theory, is simple.  The desires of the characters are supposedly simple. Yet these violent delights have violent ends. As the bodies pile up and more blood is spilt in the name of justice, a nightmarish cycle of death and horror is born. As motivations become twisted and the lines between justice, retaliation, and senseless bloodshed are destroyed, two men eventually meet their destiny in a half-naked swordfight atop the Gates of Hel.

Cold and unforgiving, The Northman has an immediate, captivating power that makes it such a compelling watch. It doesn’t hesitate to pull the viewer headfirst into an alien world. Although I am partial to his other two films and I do think that this film could use a small trim in places, it is hard not to be impressed with Eggers’ work here. Never compromising in its vision, Eggers’ attempt at blockbuster filmmaking pulls the audience in with its hypnotic atmosphere and relentless story. The Northman is something remarkable. Becoming lost in the brutality of its environment and the magical powers that permeate the fabric of the world, The Northman roars at the sound of the drums as it dances upward to the halls of Valhalla.

Score: 4.5

The Northman is now playing in theatres.

The Northman information
Directed by Robert Eggers
Written by Sjón and Robert Eggers
Starring Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Anya Taylor-Joy, with Ethan Hawke, Björk, and Willem Dafoe
Released 22 April 2022
137 minutes