Uh. Huh?
Valhalla Rising is an odd duck. It's one of those movies that I completely admire and deplore at the same time. In many ways, I just can't make up my mind about it.
One Eye (Mads Mikkelson, Casino Royale) is a Viking slave, horribly scarred (he is missing one eye and his tongue) and forced to fight in bloody gladiatorial matches by his owners. He is exceptionally good at it - and I mean brutally so. These fights are pretty gruesome. And of course, One Eye is such a good fighter that he escapes and kills his owner and all of this men - only leaving alive a small boy who begins to follow him around the highlands. Eventually One Eye and the boy come across some Crusaders. Together they all set off for the Holy Land, but their boat ends up hitting ground in a mysterious, densely wooded land. I think this place is supposed to represent North America, probably Canada where Viking artifacts have really been discovered, so I would say they were pretty off course. It might be time for a new navigator.
Anyway, the place is weird, evidence of the native life is eerie and dangerous, and the Crusaders begin to think they are in hell. You know this because every speaking character says at least once, "We're in hell." This film has very little dialogue, and this repeated line probably accounts for half of it! Okay, we get it. Crusaders don't like Canada. Get on with the story, already!
But in all honesty, there is a lot to like here. The acting is terrific, the costumes and art direction, though sparse, are very effective and well used. The cinematography is superb. The small budget is well hidden by solid direction by Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive). And the pacing is odd...this narrative flows like no other movie I've seen...it's slow...with lots of staring. Lots of staring. The editing is all over the map, jumping through time, playing with filters and colors, and the music is monotonous. Sometimes this pacing is effective, and sometimes it really hurts the movie. At best, this creates an otherworldly feel...something that is genuinely hypnotic and fascinating. At worst, all the monotony and staring grows tedious and boring...and then it gets weird. The less said about the "let's drink some water and get high" scene, the better. This is when the film just gets scary and I began to be concerned for director Refn's mental health.
So, uh, did I mention there is a lot of staring in this movie?
I kind of don't know what else to say. This might be a case where the director is trying to be a bit too different for his own good. Valhalla Rising is brilliant, frustrating, boring, fascinating, compelling and painful all at the same time. I'm glad I saw it. I'd probably watch it again...I think?
SPOILER:
Do not read this if you have not seen the movie! I am giving away the ending!!!
So for all of you have seen the movie, what did you think of the ending? I think it kind of makes no sense. I don't mind One Eye being killed by the Native Americans, sacrificing his life so that the kid can live...And I understand the symbolic significance with the color filtering...the whole movie, we see the same shot of One Eye, the whole screen colored blood red. There's a bit of a demon in this guy, a murderous and violent man. But in the end, when he sacrifices his own life, we see the same shot, only now, he is bathed in heavenly white light. So it is clear that One Eye is a changed man. But what makes him think that surrendering himself will save the boy? The Native Americans never give any indication that they will let the kid live. Where does this all come from?! And what's the boy going to do now? He's on the island by himself, with nowhere to go and no way to get off, with no food or water, and surrounded by a hostile native tribe. And the one guy who could probably keep him safe in a cool Lone Wolf and Cub kind of way just surrendered himself to be slaughtered. Huh? Anyone else have any questions about this?
Anyway....SPOILER OVER!!!
Best Line:
As I mentioned, everybody (except One Eye) says at some point: "We're in hell."
Is that really the best line from the movie? No, not really. But it is certainly the most memorable because by the 415th time I heard it, I started to feel like I was in hell.
MVP:
Mads Mikkelson is pretty awesome. Without a single line in the film, he is still easily the most compelling character. Most of his emotions are displayed through body language. Is he about to pounce and murder everyone? How does he feel about the little boy that circumstances put under his protection? What does he think about the natives? You get it all from his stance or facial expressions. Even then it is understated. There are no grand gestures. Generally, he stands still with a blank, lifeless look on his face. But in the slightest variation in his shoulders or eye, and you know what he's thinking. In a movie where you don't understand why the characters are doing or saying certain things, you never wonder about One Eye...it's pretty impressive work.
TRIVIA:
The original ending had One Eye flying away in a spaceship. But Refn though that would be too easy for the audience to interpret, so he took it out.
That is too easy for an audience to interpret?!?!
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