That is the funniest moment in Valhalla Rising. Matter of fact it is the one funny line in the movie. Valhalla Rising is a 2010 film about an one eyed, mute slave. His owners are Vikings that are being threatened by the Christian crusades. One Eye escapes his slave masters and they all pay for the inhumane treatment they levied towards him.
Valhalla Rising is a bloody, gory movie at times. One Eye is an animal. He shows no regard for human life. He is a loner with the exception of a young boy that follows him. The boy becomes his voice. Not that One Eye has that much to say. When propositioned with joining the crusades he agrees more or less. The Christians ask where he is from and the boy says "He is from Hell". The boy explains that hell is on the other side of the ocean.
While on their quest to make it to Jerusalem the crusaders, the boy and One Eye get lost in a mist and end up in North America where they clash with the natives and each other.
Valhalla Rising is directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. One of my favorite working directors. His films aren't always the best, but you know you can count on his to show you something you have never seen before. Last year he introduced the world to Tom Hardy in the title role in the film Bronson. The world should be thankful. He is also the director of the Pusher Trilogy. A uneven yet sometime brilliant series of films about the pros and cons of drug dealing.
I said Refn provides things you have never seen before. Valhalla Rising does not disappoint when it come to originality. But it is not without some clear influences. The most obvious to me is Terrence Malick's The New World. Others would be the fictional works of Werner Herzog.
One Eye is played by Mads Mikkelsen. In my not so humble opinion he is my generations Klaus Kinski. He is a mad man. He is electric and unstable. The comparison between Mads and Refn to Kinski and Herzog is not a difficult one to make. Refn can really pull brilliant performances out of actors. Hardy as Bronson was my #1 male performance of last year.
I was expecting a bloody violent picture through out. It is painful to watch some of the scenes but not always because what is on screen. The film has a Michael Heeke feel to it as well. I was not however expecting an anti-Christian message or an anti-American message either. And the film pulled no punches or was in no way trying to hide it's opinions.
As a whole Valhalla Rising is a challenging view. There are long stretches of no dialogue. There is a lot of shots of people in nature not really doing much. There is madness in the air of this movie and Refn brings it front and center. It can wear on a person after a bit though. Refn is not for beginners. I give Valhalla Rising a 4/5 stars. Largely for Mads performance and the first 30 minutes of the film. Check out the link below for the trailer and a new feature click the link to view the DVD at Amazon.com.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcFOSfaCNec
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