THE NORTHMAN
[FILM]
“Played with feral intensity” — Alexander Skarsgård pulls out all the stops as Viking warrior Amleth.
★★★★★
OUT 15 APRIL / CERT TBC / 136 MINS
DIRECTOR Robert Eggers
CAST Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke, Björk, Willem Dafoe
PLOT At the turn of the tenth century, a Nordic prince-turned-brutal-warrior named Amleth (Skarsgård) seeks bloody vengeance against the man responsible for the murder of his father (Hawke), and receives supernatural guidance along the way.
NO FILMMAKER IN the last 20 years has done folklore quite like Robert Eggers. The Witch and The Lighthouse showcased his skilful ability to transpose the stories of old into celluloid form, without losing the historical, mystical and cultural veracity of their origin, and both have been weird and wacky gifts to behold. Yet these intimate portraits of North American myth are a whole different ballgame compared to the Viking legend of Eggers’ latest cinematic endeavour. To say he’s stepped it up a notch would be an understatement — the man’s smashed it right out of the park.