The Northman (2022) Dir: Robert Eggers
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Robert Eggers' norse revenge thriller was based on the works of medieval historian Saxo Grammaticus, who was also the direct inspiration for William Shakespeare's Hamlet. Although this film flopped upon release, it still garnered positive reviews, and had remained high on my watchlist, mainly due to some very nice looking shots that I had seen circulating online.
The viewing experience for this film was, at times, incredibly visceral. It was a feral and violent film with strong Shakespearean characteristics. The emotions involved in the story were remarkably vivid and borderline vicious. The potency of Eggers' storytelling was more than evident.
However, it must be said that I found the cinematography slightly disappointing, in all honesty. One or two shots felt a little amateur, and there were moments were the visual effects looked pretty weak. I enjoyed the majority of the shots and camerawork, I'd like that understood, but there were a handful of shots that let the film down.
The narrative itself was epic, dramatic and impassioned. It certainly felt like it came from the same roots of Shakespearean tales of vengeance, romance and treachery. The blood and violence of the film was gratuitous, but felt justified by the events of the story. If I had one small objection to the narrative, it would be that the climax didn't quite hit the emotional levels I'd hoped.
Alexander Skarsgård embodied the animalistic and fiery nature of the film, with an impressive and intimidating leading performance. He was a man committed and emboldened by his character's purpose and journey. The emotions displayed by this man were very impressive. He was a face if savagery.
Anya Taylor Joy had some excellently acted scenes, especially in the second half of the film. She had great chemistry with Skarsgård, but her best moments came from her fantastical dreamlike scenes, in which she could only be described as ethereal.
Nicole Kidman was deliciously deranged, and seemed to delight in her character's cruelness. Slightly dodgy accent aside, this was one of Kidman's best performances in a long time. Her maniacal facial expressions and witch-like acting was perfect for the role and bordering on terrifying, at points.
Claes Bang had moments where he felt important and interesting, but I can't help but feel like I needed more from him - a bigger performance. He lacked charisma, particularly in comparison to the bigger names around him. He felt believable, but not all that memorable - it was disappointing.
Ethan Hawke had very little screentime, but my goodness, he was incredible. What a superbly talented actor he is, and what range he has. Other noteworthy supporting appearances came from Gustav Lindh, Elliott Rose, Willem Dafoe and Ingvar E. Sigurðsson.
Overall, I think there was a lot to like about this film. It felt intense, gritty and immense. I found it captivating, for the most part, but I cannot help but feel like there was something missing - a crescendo not quite reached. This is a very good film, but it does not quite reach the lofty heights that I felt as though it could have done.
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