The Northman

 

The Northman

I did not realize Vikings had such bright and shiny teeth, but that underscores my lack of Nordic culture. This film is one of the most brutal and gory movies I have seen in some time. The movie has elements of Norse lore, Shakespearean and Greek tragedy. The plot is simple; Prince Amleth seeks revenge for the murder of his father by his uncle. The story is about the quest for this revenge. Fantasy is in the mix with dead Vikings coming to life with dead eyes and a magical sword that can only be drawn at night. Unless you are a Norse scholar you should brush up on your Viking history. An outstanding feature of the movie is the breathtaking scenery. The story is supposed to be in Iceland but most of the filming was shot in Northern Ireland.

A very buffed Alexander Skarsgard (a.k.a Tarzan) plays Prince Amleth. He is a brooding killing machine, which he does well. William Defoe is Heimer the Fool barely recognizable under his hair; his screen time is brief. Nicole Kidman is the queen and Amleth’s mother. Her character does provide a pivotable twist in the movie. Anya Taylor-Joy (a.k.a The Queen’s Gambit) is Olga the Slavic slave girl who becomes Amleth’s wife. Ethan Hawk is King Aurvandill War-Ravin Amleth’s father; again too much hair and hard to recognize.

The film received a Rotten Tomatoes score of 89. The production cost was about $90m but the worldwide box office was only  $53m; it needed to make $200m to breakeven. For the target male audience, Thor is easier to digest.

John Wick

Dust off your Matrix sunglasses, Keanu is back and he is pissed. Not sure if he is pissed because he turned 50 or because someone killed his puppy. John Wick is a retired assassin who worked for the Russian mob and is reluctantly pulled back into the game to settle a score. This movie is a throwback to the simplicity of the Spaghetti Westerns where Clint Eastwood let hot lead do his talking. John does not say much either and he uses a lot of lead among other things. This movie is focused and efficient. There are no distracting side plots.

Keanu Reeves plays Wick like a video game hit man. He is a dispassionate cold killer who is impeccably dressed in twenty shades of black in an Armani suite. His killing prowess include guns, knives, cars and pencils; No. 2 pencils to be exact. The bad guys are Russians who garner no empathy. I think the Russian actors were Russian and they spoke Russian. Da.

Most of the action takes place in Manhattan, specifically the Financial District. Some of the logistics were screwy. The arches in front of the Municipal Building face Delmonico and Delmonico was transformed into a hotel for mobsters. There are plenty of car chases. John’s 1969 Mustang is stolen and his loner car is a Shelby Mustang, very cool.

Supporting actors, besides the Red Army, were John Leguizamo, William Defoe, and Ian McShane among others. None were sidekicks and their roles were well tuned for the script. I cannot recall if there was any sex in the movie but this could be the debilitations of old age on my part. There was a women in a very tight black leather outfit, but see locked nasty.

This is not a date movie. It has no redeeming social values; climate change was not mentioned once. It appeals to my inner hedonist. This is the perfect movie for adolescents and guys in their sixties, since thinking is not required.

A Most Wanted Man

When the movie ended I suspected it could be based on a John le Carre novel; it was. For me reading a le Carre novel is like jogging in wet cement. It is ponderous and has little forward motion.  This movie follows suite. It is a spy movie but not one shot is fired, never mind gratuitous sex. The heart of the plot is a mysterious and very dirty refugee from the East comes to Hamburg to claim an inheritance. American and German secret services seek to claim him and the money.

The movie went on for two hours but felt longer. There were more business meetings than car chases. Not to give too much away, the apex of the movie was signing a critical legal document; very un-Bondish. If this sound base, I plead guilty.

What this movie will be remembered for is not its scintillating plot but rather as Philip Seymour Hoffman’s last film (far as we know). He looked terrible, overweigh (more than usual), puffy and tired. His incessant cigarette smoking was real. He played the role as the German agent Gunther in his trademark languid manner. His drawl was not quite like Capote’s, but still unhurried with a soft spoken mumble.  His skills as a great actor was evident and he fully inhabits his character, but this is not the best vehicle for his final journey

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There other fine actors in this movie. Rachel McAdams plays an idealist lawyer aiding the refugee from the East. She is very sweet and earnest. Her legal skills are sharp, and yes there are more meetings.   At one point she and the refugee tumble into each other’s arms but alas no lip lock.

William Defoe is the slimy bank president. Defoe has a wonderful demonic face which portends evil, but here his dark side is relegated to being a German bureaucrat. He played a vampire once before.

The last notable star is Robin Wright (Buttercup from “The Prince Bride” and Mrs. Frank Underwood from the “House of Card”). She plays the CIA officer liaising with the German investigation team.  There is nothing soft or warm about her; she can chill a bottle of wine by just holding it. Her performance in the film is limited but important.  Detached heatless women seem to be a natural for her, hopefully only in films.

I apologize for being so catty. With all the ballyhoo about the film I expected more or a least a pace faster than a tortoise’s.