Popular reviews

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  Review by More_Badass ★★★½ 2

  Continuing down the historical chase actioner rabbit hole with 1987’s Pathfinder aka Ofelaš/Veiviseren. While the loose remake was a Native American versus Viking story, this Norwegian original is immersed in indigenous Sami culture, taking care to showcase everyday life and folkloric traditions.

  Equally awesome as a period action-adventure/revenge story and as cinematic representation of a culture not often seen onscreen, Pathfinder follows the sole survivor of a Tchude pillage in his quest to avenge his family and protect the rest of his people. I was not expecting the film to be as starkly merciless as it is, but the opening swiftly establishes the danger of its era, before segueing into tense survival-suspense. What follows is a coming-of-age entrenched in mythic…

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  Review by Krautsalat ★★★★

  52 Years in 52 Weeks 2021: Film #9

  This morning I saw the reindeer bull for the third time in my life. The first time I saw it, I was your age. Then once again, in the prime of my years. Today I am old. The reindeer has come for the last time.

  Santa Claus' origin story is suprisingly similar to Conan's.

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  Review by Wes Edwards ★★★★

  Mythic adventure in the frozen north a millennium ago? Yes - and it’s great! This is a terrific movie from Norway from 1987.

  The story is familiar, even if the setting is not. Pathfinder plays out like a David-Goliath battle on skis, pitting the peaceable Sami against the aggressive and more powerful Tchudes. Just so it's clear who we should root for, we meet the Tchudes when they kill a family dog. Things get more violent from there and it falls to young Aigin (Mikkel Gaup), who might be a far-distant relative of Luke Skywalker, to save the Sami community from destruction. There are reindeer, bears and those Tchudes--well, they're a nasty bunch, led by a guy who could be Klaus Kinski’s weirder brother.

  This is a solidly crafted and very entertaining movie, well-worth checking out.

  Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film Oscar in 1988

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  Review by jonm ★★★½

  because my sony dvd player is region-locked I had to watch a 360p youtube upload with dopey english overdubs.

  just like the director intended.

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  Review by No Christians Either ★★★★½

  Learned Pathfinder (2007) is an adaptation of a film version of a legend by some of Norway's indigenous peoples and, well, had to throw it on.

  I have no idea how Pathfinder (2007) mimicked this flick so closely, while missing the crux entirely. Significantly more riveting and intriguing, partially because of the complete removal of colonial implications and partially because it's just a plain better film.

  Stunning scenery in the oft ignored northern regions of Norway, solid acting all around from a cast almost entirely consisting of Sami actors, and a genuinely compelling narrative. Honestly, the fact I had basically just watched the exact same film before putting this on is a testament to how interesting a viewing this is.

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  Review by Dan Prestwich ★★★½

  An effectively simple and straightforward adventure story, with a unique setting that makes the whole endeavor feel a little more special.

  I'm willing to bet this is one of the all-time top dad movies in Norway.

  Hoping to watch the Marcus Nispel remake, along with his remake of Conan the Barbarian, in the near future.

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  Review by Jakrit ★★½

  This is the type of bizarro-Disney adventure flick I would pick out from the family section of the 99 cent video rental store my dad used to take me to when I was a kid, the same store that had a restricted Adult video backroom that received a lot of foot traffic and as a kid I just thought that was where the R-rated Segal/Stallone/Van Damme movies were kept. Anyways this movie is cool if you want to feel nostalgic for a movie you never watched but feels like you did.

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  Review by Aaron ★★★

  Sort of an icy western, Pathfinder is a compelling “chase” adventure that plays out north of the Arctic Circle. Sadly, it doesn’t really do anything you’ve never seen before. I don’t even really have that much to say about it. I read a funny anecdote that the original stunt team they hired quit because it was too cold, so they had to hire a slightly heartier team.

  It has cultural significance as part of the movement to preserve the Sami language and culture, though, so worth seeing while it’s still on the Criterion Channel.

  March Around the World 2021 | Nation #15: Norway

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  Review by mylessauer ★★★★

  Fuck it, four stars! This movie is fun and I was wrong to downplay its Indigenous elements! “A Western in the snow” my ass!

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  Review by Ole Holgersen ★★★★

  One of my favourite wildlife films. A dark and gritty action-adventure with a strong and well told story. A Norwegian classic.

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  Review by ⍵ℹ︎⌊⌇⏐ª♍︎ ★★★ 1

  Aigin looks really stupid in the poster.
  Why is the whole plot on letterbox? Its a pretty easy plot, but why?

  (Edit: old lb poster)

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  Review by OlaKvamsdal ★★★★

  Sámi cinema <3