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Mads Mikkelsen, Alexander Morton, Maarten Stevenson, Gordon Brown, Stewart Porter ... see more see more... , Andrew Flanagan , Gary Lewis , Jamie Sives , Gary McCormack , Ewan Stewart , Matthew Zajac

For years, the fearsome figure known only as One Eye (Mads Mikkelsen - PUSHER, FLAME & CITRON, CASINO ROYALE) has defeated everyone he's encountered, but he's treated more like an animal than a warrio... read more read more...r. The only person he has any relationship with is the young boy who brings him food and water daily. Constantly caged and shackled, One Eye has drawn the attention of a new force now sweeping the countryside and displacing the society's leaders: Christians.-- (C) IFC Films

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45% liked it

14,601 ratings

Critics

71% liked it

55 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 30 min.

Directed by: Nicolas Winding Refn

Release Date: July 16, 2010

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DVD Release Date: November 30, 2010

Stats: 1,493 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,493)

  • dunmyer
    November 5, 2011
    dunmyer
    How could it be? How could one man, Nicolas Refn, direct the best English-language film of 2011 so far ("Drive") and the worst English-language film of 2009 ("Valhalla Rising")? It does not compute. But there you have it. The crazy world of art.

    "Valhalla Rising" is a laughab... read morele stinker. I howled with laughter on at least 10 occasions, in between the naps I had to take during the glacially slow sequences of men walking across barren hills and wandering through fog -- and staring off into the distance silently. There is not a single female character in the film, incidentally. This is a film about MEN.

    The hero/anti-hero (or whatever), played by Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen, never utters a word. This is the Clint Eastwood school of the strong, silent manly man taken to absurd, unintentionally comedic extremes.

    Somewhere at the heart of this spectacular misfire are some interesting ideas about the collision (melding?) of Christianity and "paganism," both of the Nordic and Native American variety. But Refn was hopelessly incapable of getting those ideas out of his head and onto the screen.

    It will be interesting to see where Refn goes in 2012. Will he go back in the direction of "VR" or continue on the path he charted with "Drive"? It goes without saying that I hope it's the latter.
  • allan913
    October 23, 2011
    allan913
    An ultra-stylish, dark, moody and intensely brutal epic of bone-chilling power. An impressive, stunning and amazing feast for the eyes and ears that truly stays with you long after it's over. A viking acid-trip that showcases man vs. man, nature, and religon. It's a cool, visuall... read morey arresting and exhilarating action-packed thrill-ride has lots to offer. A gruesome and dreading atmosphere and compelling story keeps your attention to the end. Director, Nicolas Winding Refn is a true visionary filmmaker, crafting a bloody gorgeous and astonishing film that's destined to be a classic. This movie opens your eyes with some of the most mind-blowing realistic visuals in a while. A masterpiece. A trippy, gutsy and grim display of an stylish epic. This is one hell of an adrenaline-charged, heart-pounding and unforgettable movie. It's shocking and endlessly breathtaking. Mads Mikkelsen is riveting, his character says no words but you feel his intensity and power from only his stair.
  • fb619846742
    August 14, 2011
    fb619846742
    An atmospheric, beautifully photographed film concerning the Crusades and a mysterious, mute, one-eyed warrior (Mads Mikkelson) who gets embroiled in religious arrogance during a murky time in the world's history. Although unrelentingly violent in spurts, this film is one of the ... read moremost beautiful and hypnotizing ones I have seen in quite some time. Sure, it is not as deep as it could be, nor does it end on a real strong note, but this thing is like a cross between a luscious Terrence Malick film with a Lars von Trier type plot set-up, so that alone makes it worth watching. Mikkelsen has a tough task at hand playing a lead who doesn't utter a word, but his intimidating performance still leaves an unmistakable impact. As said, it is imperfect, and I felt like it could have explored a couple of areas it only slightly touched on (madness, religious power, the physicality of man, etc.), but still a really gorgeous film to look at, and one definitely worth a view.
  • fb732260458
    February 26, 2011
    fb732260458
    This is a strange, strange film... Glimpses of visceral violence splashed against an eerie, atmospheric landscape. Not for everyone, but definitely a treat for those that enjoy the sounds of nature. Seriously - the script must have fit one one page.
  • Beefy
    January 25, 2011
    Beefy
    The act of a highly visual director trying to reign himself in, this film fails to strike the right balance between ponderous and brutal. Also, it has no plot.
  • MrMarakai
    January 17, 2011
    MrMarakai
    Director Nicolas Winding Refn has gained a bit of a cult following after his previous film "Bronson", about Britain's most notorious and violent prisoner. Now he gives another portrayal of a violent prisoner, in this art-house, ethnographic, dreamlike film.
    A thousand years a... read morego, 'One-Eye' (Mads Mikkelsen), an enigmatic, mute warrior-slave, is freed from captivity and falls in with a party of Christian Vikings who set out for the Holy Land but cross the wrong sea, reaching a vast, overwhelming land with potentially hostile inhabitants.
    This is a film that's guaranteed to split audiences as it's definitely not for all tastes. It's a spiritual Viking film with a ghostly atmosphere permeating throughout and sudden bursts of graphic violence. It also has a highly effective meditative pace an ethereal feel but I struggled to find anything meaningful and seriously considered whether any of the actors knew what was going on either. They looked just as lost and bewildered as I did. Yes, it has shades of Werner Herzog and Terrence Malick but it's not quite as accessible as those directors. Winding Refn certainly makes it look the part though. The cinematography is gorgeous with wonderfully captured Scottish landscapes and every frame is a work of art but it left me feeling like I do about 'modern art', which is... Blah - pompous and pretentious claptrap. What I found most intriguing was how the actors could walk around the Scottish highlands, battling the elements without as much as a decent raincoat on. That's not an easy thing to do. I'm impressed.
    There's no denying it's hallucinatory beauty and must admit that it lingered long after it finished, but really, for me, it's Valhalla Shmalhalla.
  • garyX
    January 16, 2011
    garyX
    An escaped warrior slave and a group of religious zealots seeking the holy land find themselves in unfamiliar territory when their ship loses its way in fog. Director Nicolas Winding Refn, responsible for the decent if somewhat cold and uninvolving Pusher trilogy, here enters Vik... read moreing territory in this tale of strangers in a strange land. As an indicator of just how pretentious this film is, lead actor Mads Mikkelsen does not utter one syllable during the entire length of the film, Refn instead telling the "story" through endless shots of desolate landscapes shot through high contrast filters, men with beards staring into the distance and occasionally mud wrestling. Apart from the brief spurts of savage violence, absolutely nothing happens in this film. A few extras from Braveheart wander around the Scottish Highlands (I was previously unaware that Vikings all sounded like groundskeeper Willy), stab each other from time to time for reasons ill-explained and that, my friend, is it. The fancy visuals may fool some into thinking that this is art, but anyone with an ounce of common sense will see through this blatant attempt at Herzog mimicry as a load of tediously boring, pointless old cobblers. Well before the end of the first hour I was watching it on fast forward and if you can imagine how good a band called "Valhalla Rising" would be, then you've found the level of this film. Absolute tripe.
  • DragonEyeMorrison
    January 11, 2011
    DragonEyeMorrison
    Stunning visuals for a very pointless film. Aguirre and Apocalypse Now featuring vikings, but not as exciting as that sounds. Nicolas Winding Refn is another good director that needs a better script, and just better pacing.
  • rubystevens
    December 13, 2010
    rubystevens
    portentous, pretentious, slow, bloody and very beautiful, recalling malick and aguirre, wrath of god. requires alot of patience and u still won't know what happened. could be edited into a great post-rock video
  • matertenebraum
    December 5, 2010
    matertenebraum
    I was expecting an epic battle movie about Vikings (as my mistake was to not check who's the director) and hell was I mistaken. What was delivered was an astonishing movie about humanity. In my humble opinion this is a masterpiece, despite being visually and acoustically amazing ... read moreit is an in-depth look into mankind as it is rarely found. There is a lot in this movie (which in itself is amazing when one is looking on the minimal use of words)and I have to admit I did not get all the hints and metaphors used.

    If you want entertainment go and watch something else use your brain and you will enjoy this movie! I normally do not write reviews or rate movies here but I strongly felt that this movie was underrated by a mile. Further, this reminded me to go and finally buy Denmarks best trilogy!

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Critic Reviews

Colin Covert
November 4, 2010
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

It's a chilly, often slow, uncompromisingly harsh film, but Refn's images will sear your retinas. Full Review

Ty Burr
July 29, 2010
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

If only the pieces added up to an experience that sticks and that didn't finally succumb to a shrug of entropy. Full Review

Robert Abele
July 23, 2010
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times

You sometimes wish Refn's gift for Ridley Scott-level mayhem had won the battle over his much iffier Werner Herzog leanings.

John Anderson
July 22, 2010
John Anderson, Wall Street Journal

It's a trip into a primordial world and primeval sensibilities, and if you're looking to shake off the mall-movie blahs, there are few better places to look. Full Review

Mike Hale
July 16, 2010
Mike Hale, New York Times

Mr. Refn, who can pull off stylish brutality (in the Pusher films and Bronson), shows no knack for the kind of visionary, hallucinatory image making that would render Valhalla Rising memorable. Full Review

Andrew O'Hehir
July 16, 2010
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com

Lots of movies about the Middle Ages can do the mud and blood -- though we sure see a lot of both here -- but in this movie it's like Refn has ripped you out of time and dropped you there. Full Review

Stephen Whitty
July 16, 2010
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger

It's Herzog deconstructed and reconstructed, amped up and slowed down -- like the way '60s band Vanilla Fudge used to take Top 40 hits and drag them out for most of an album side. Full Review

Lisa Schwarzbaum
July 14, 2010
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

When it comes to crazy, violent, semidelirious, testosterone-laden, proto-Viking tales about a mute visionary one-eyed warrior who breaks skulls, Valhalla Rising is pretty great. Full Review

Rex Reed
July 14, 2010
Rex Reed, New York Observer

Valhalla Rising is nothing more than an updated version of the kind of time-honored Hollywood Viking movie Kirk Douglas used to do in his sleep, which means lots of inhuman, bone-crunching violence an... Full Review

Vadim Rizov
July 13, 2010
Vadim Rizov, Village Voice

A movie as maddeningly ponderous and self-important as its black-metal title. Full Review

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    • The Boy: You need a name, and you've only got one eye.
    • Barde: They eat their own god, eat his flesh, drink his blood, abominable.
    • Eirik: God brought us out of that mist for a reason. We claim this land in His name.
    • Kare: I am going to show them that a man of God has arrived.
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