Director – Claudio Fah (Hollow Man II)
Starring – Ed Skrein (Piggy, Game of Thrones), Ryan Kwanten (True Blood, Knights of Badassdom), and James Norton (Doctor Who, Rush)
Release Date – 2014
Rating – 4/5
People mostly know me for my love of horror, horror porn, and exploitation but I love almost all genres…almost. I love horror but I do have favorites in all genres. I once overheard someone say that people can be split up into two categories, Star Wars and Star Trekfans. I believe that to an extent but now you can toss in Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. I call these the four fandoms of the modern world.
I really enjoy ST and SW but I absolutely love LotR and greatly admire films like it. That was why I reached out to Anchor Bay when I discovered they were releasing the viking epic Northmen – A Viking Saga which starred Ryan Kwanten who I have mentioned before I am a fan of. Thank you guys for sending the blu my way!
**Spoiler Alert**The film follows a group of exiled vikings who are shipwrecked during a storm and find themselves in Scotland. They are soon attacked by the guards of the king of Britain. They are able to take on his men with few casualties and soon find his daughter in a carriage nearby.
They decide to hold her hostage for ransom to buy their way off the island. Soon they come across a Christian monk wielding a staff and knows how to use it. They team up and soon learn that the king has sent an army of mercenaries to kill the vikings but they change their mind and decide to kill the princess instead. Now, they must fight their way through a hostile country and protect their hostage at the same time.**Spoiler Alert**
Northmen was a film I was excited to see but I had my doubts. Due to the lack of marketing I thought the film would have a very small budget and the action, set, and costumes would suffer because of it. I was half right. The film was made on a budget smaller than most of the film’s I mentioned earlier but the quality of the film did not suffer what so ever. The film was still a fucking blast to watch and action packed.
The acting in this one is top notch by the entire cast. In fact, it was so great it is really hard to find somewhere to start among them all. Everyone, regardless of gender, had a very demanding role and they went above and beyond to make their roles believable and enjoyable. Each character has qualities that that the viewer will really like, or hate depending on the character. This is a top notch cast for sure.
The story for this one is nothing new but that does not stop the viewer from watching to see the carnage. There has been so many fantasy adventure flicks over the years that follow a small band of warriors fighting their way across the land while an evil horde follows. The most recent film, which is another one that I enjoy, is King Arthur starring Clive Owen. The film follows a similar story but offers us a Norse/Pagan vs Catholic spin to it which is something I find fun.
Finally, the film does have several on screen kills but the they were not as bloody as I would have liked. The practical effects were great but the gore was lacking. Overall,Northmen was a damn fine action adventure film that was well worth the time. If you want a film that packs a punch then grab this one!
