Review of Valhalla Rising (2009) by Jay L — 08 Nov 2011

"In the beginning there was only man and nature. Men came bearing crosses and drove the heathen to the fringes of the Earth.".

A strange, surreal and increasingly hallucinatory adventure from Independent Writer/Director Nicolas Winding Refn (Bronson, The Pusher Trilogy). A savagely brutal Viking film that's sadistically violent and shockingly intense and seriously gory. A tough, visceral, ultra-stylish, heart-pounding, gritty, blood-fueled and an intensely visually arresting historical epic, that only Nicolas Winding Refn is capable of constructing. It's indeniably exhilarating, originally surreal, amazingly captivating, beyond powerful, and flat-out hard-hitting, a film that's not like any historical film out there. It's "Pathfinder" meets a little bit of "300", a super cerebral knockout blow of wickedly electrifying fury. The visuals are truly spectacular, an eye-popping optical feast from beginning to end. The music is dark and brooding, it goes perfectly with the overall tone of the film, this just feels like a Nicolas Winding Refn film. An adrenaline-charged, mania-inducing, slow-moving and full-throttle adventure that hynotizes as u watch. A quiet film that's powered by the awesome performances of it's truly talented cast. Experience this hallucinatory mind trip and give the old ticker some uber-cool filmmaking and visuals to submerge itself into.

The acting is great and the cast is supremely talented. Mads Mikkelson leads the cast with a quiet, but darkly fantastic performance. One of the better performances of his career. Martin Stevenson and Andrew Flanagan are great a well.