Valhalla Rising
2010 Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn
Synopsis
1000 AD, for years, One Eye, a mute warrior of supernatural strength, has been held prisoner by the Norse chieftain Barde. Aided by Are, a boy slave, One Eye slays his captor and together he and Are escape, beginning a journey into the heart of darkness. On their flight, One Eye and Are board a Viking vessel, but the ship is soon engulfed by an endless fog that clears only as the crew sights an unknown land. As the new world reveals its secrets and the Vikings confront their terrible and bloody fate, One Eye discovers his true self.
Cast
Studios
Genres
Popular reviews
More-
Basically if Malick, Herzog and Lynch dropped acid and made a badass viking movie, it probably would look like this.
-
Nicolas Winding Refn is one of those directors you should be keeping an eye on. While falling in love with his 2011 film that throwbacks to the 70's films featuring getaway drivers, Drive, and with his new film collaborating with Ryan Gosling again, Only God Forgives, I'm interested in everything Refn will put his name on from now on. He has a very distinct style that is very appealing to the eyes.
The film follows the silent, cold-hearted warrior, One-Eye, who has been held captive as a prisoner to a Norse chieftain. He then runs away with a boy slave, Are, onto a Viking vessel. We then see One-Eye discover things about himself that he has never found before.
Valhalla…
-
“They only have one God. We have many.”
Oh Mr. Nicolas Winding Refn, how we seem to have a love hate relationship. Bronson was great, Drive was great, but then, we arrive at Valhalla Rising and I must say sir, I am left quite disappointed.
To quote Netflix, Valhalla Rising is about “a warrior who kills his master and escapes with the man's son. They set sail with a band of Christian Crusaders and end up in the nightmarish New World.” However, religion is definitely a lot more prominent than claimed.
First, let’s start with the positives.
One, this film is EXTREMELY well shot. Everything from costume, to cinematography, I found this film beautiful. Morten Søborg did a fantastic job…
-
Gory, uncompromising, brutal, intense, and mesmerizing. The cinematography is stunning. The violence hits you hard as hell when you least expect it. The acting is fantastic, especially by Mads Mikkelsen. His character One Eye does'nt need his fists or weapons to intimidate you, though he uses them a lot. His stare is enough to make the toughest guy shit himself. Nicholas Winding Refn makes something that reminices the works of David Lynch, David Cronenberg, Jim Jarmusch, and Terrence Malick but Refn's unique storytelling makes this something only he could truly make. You can call it a hardcore, poetic version of Braveheart but it's much more than a viking tale. It's a brutal, beautiful odyssey of epicness. As cliched as it sounds, it is very much an epic of epic proportions.
-
If I were to say that this film is a period piece about the Viking's first discovery of America I'd be right and wrong.
I'd be right in so far that it is the backdrop to this film. I'd be wrong as it isn't about that at all. It is an exploration of the beast within men and it is done in a beautiful way.
Nicolas Winding Refn is a fascinating director. He doesn't seem to be concerned with genre tropes and doesn't limit himself to straightforward filmmaking. His films have a tranquillity to them that lull you into a false sense of security as they at some point will always brutally grab you by the throat. He treats Valhalla…
-
Valhalla Rising is pure brutalizing stimulating. There is nothing easy about it, but it is a thought-provoking treat for all who have an open mind. A layered thematic exploration of spirituality, religion, and the dark depths of human nature. While it does deal heavily with religion, it is not a religious film. Instead it examines the nature of religion and why people cling so tightly to the hopes of divine purposes, afterlife, and evil. Mads Mikkelsen plays One-Eye - the only named character in the entire film - a mysterious mute Norse warrior. He is covered with as many tattoos as he has scars, and is unbeatable in battle. Yet there is much hinted at and even more left unexplained…
Recent reviews
More-
Visually and aurally STUNNING. The story line was a little hard to follow, as the script is probably a couple of pages long. I got the overall gist of it, however. Could have had more work in that respect, but otherwise it was absolutely beautiful.
-
Nicolas Winding Refn is one of those directors you should be keeping an eye on. While falling in love with his 2011 film that throwbacks to the 70's films featuring getaway drivers, Drive, and with his new film collaborating with Ryan Gosling again, Only God Forgives, I'm interested in everything Refn will put his name on from now on. He has a very distinct style that is very appealing to the eyes.
The film follows the silent, cold-hearted warrior, One-Eye, who has been held captive as a prisoner to a Norse chieftain. He then runs away with a boy slave, Are, onto a Viking vessel. We then see One-Eye discover things about himself that he has never found before.
Valhalla…
-
Beautiful, poetic and violent. Nicholas Winding Refn's 'Valhalla Rising' is a critical masterpiece and something to be admired with high esteem. While it not be to everyone's taste, everyone can still respect it for what it is.
With literally no dialogue throughout the whole film, the story is told through cinematic shots, sound, and acting. Mikkelsen as 'One-Eye' is mesmerising and is equally frightening. The fact that this man never speaks for the whole movie leaves a quiet cool about him, but also fear, as we never know what he's thinking of or what he'll do next. His spontaneous, violent outbursts are shocking and gruesome, with some truly horrific scenes mainly at the start.
Usually, I'm not the one that…
-
A beautiful and haunting movie. It is limited in dialogue, and a fairly simple plot. But for that it makes up with breathtaking cinematography, music/score to die for, and haunting scenes that allowed to slowly play out before your eyes. The violence is brutal and quick. With some great acting throughout. It is an amazing movie to watch.
-
I need to watch this one again before casting judgment
-
i wanted so badly to like it, but i just didn't :((
-
Las dos películas que he visto de Nicolas Winding Refn —Drive y Valhalla Rising— incluyen violencia y héroes mudos. Lo propongo para dirigir The Legend of Zelda.
-
Certainly not a film for everyone due to some brutal violence and an almost glacial pace in parts. However, if you can get past that you'll discover a superbly shot film that has a pretty damn good story to it. Mads Mikkelsen gives a great performance without delivering a line.
-
2deep4me