Review of Valhalla Rising (2009) by Kalid R — 07 Dec 2010
Valhalla Rising is probably the closest thing you will ever see to an arthouse action flick. Superficially, the movie has alot in common with the "sword and sorcery" genre of Conan and his ilk. However, even surface level clues give away that Rising is a horse of a different color. The violence is terse, brutal, and rarely flashy. The cast is not pleasing to the eye. The score is subtle rather than grand.
The story is unrelentingly strange. The weirdness creates a tension that makes it diffcult to find any joy in the experience. While the interweaving of brutal gorn with shots of the beautiful Scottish highlands can create a nice effect, it occasionally feels contrived. Also, the chapter framework was basically extraneous, and removing its title cards would have eliminated the worst scene transitions in the film. Valhalla Rising could have been improved, but it still deserves a look. Particularly, action and thriller fans should see it, as an eye-opener. Think Dirty Harry as a viking, but less light-hearted.
This review of Valhalla Rising (2009) was written by Kalid R on 07 Dec 2010.
Valhalla Rising has generally received mixed reviews.
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