Valhalla Rising

Madman

R4 DVD

Valhalla Rising is a hypnotic experience, filled with beautiful cinematography, a haunting soundtrack and a plot which needs to be experienced rather than simply watched. It has many layers of storytelling including metaphysical and mythic speculation. On a surface level it is the tale of “One Eye” a former Viking abandoned in Scotland. He is treated by the local clans as a slave and paid fighter and treated like an animal. He bides his time and when he escapes all hell breaks loose, but that is just the start of his journey. He meets up with a group of “Christian Vikings” who are supposedly on their way to the Holy Land. They are little more than uneducated thugs and the conflict between “One Eye’s” pagan faith and the adopted religion of the Vikings is poignant. This is indeed is a major theme of the film since the name One Eye can be related to the Norse god Odin and his premonitions and telepathic communication with a young boy seems to suggest a possible more than human quality for “One Eye”. The Christian Vikings seem lost, violent and barbaric, it could be said that since they have abandoned the structure of their early heathen ways and adopted a foreign faith they have lost their bearings.

The narrative of the story is the journey of the Christian Vikings and One Eye as they seek the holy land but actually land in America. As the desire for chattel and glory fails, the Christians loose themselves in madness and their true colours show. The film has many surreal elements with the conclusion being very powerful.

Mads Mikkelsen is quite astounding as One Eye and the young boy brings a level of compassion to this otherwise hardened warrior character. At times the film feels like a meditation on the beauty and brutality of nature with its cold mountains and unforgiving passes. It is all expressed in a three act structure and each leaves you considering the nature of its message. The film uses minimal dialogue and hence you need to be open to it on an emotional level. I found this a powerful and intriguing visual experience and it will be a film that will be kept in my regular watch collection.

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