When I sat down to watch Valhalla
Rising I was expecting to get mostly a typical medieval journey story. But
probably one that was a little more violent than normal and that looked a lot
more unique and stylish due to Bronson’s
Nicolas Winding Refn sitting in the director’s chair. What I got was a crazy
art film that sat somewhere between Werner Herzog and Ingmar Bergman. There’s
not so much a story here as there is a building of tension with occasional
explosions of violence made all the more intense due to some all-in
performances and a crazy score that reminded me of a cross between Vangelis’ Blade Runner score and the music Jonny
Greenwood did for There Will Be Blood. Or
maybe I dreamed all of that. I was pretty tired when I was watching and everything
I remember was pretty hallucinatory. Probably there is some sort of allegory
going on with the feral Viking warrior protagonist and his continued slaughtering
of the Christian marauders who seem to be taking over the world like
cockroaches in this film, but really, who has the time to think about things
like that? Bottom line is Valhalla Rising
is shooting for art and it wears its influences on its sleeve, but its got
a lot of crazy violence, it builds up its tension well, and it’s always really
pretty to look at. It’s not quite what I was expecting after falling in love
with Bronson, but it’s pretty fun for
what it is.
