Viking The Movie New! -

If you are a history buff tired of horned helmets and inaccurate leather pants, Viking is a breath of fresh (cold) air. It respects the brutality of the era. Danila Kozlovsky carries the film with a quiet sorrow that makes you forget he is an actor.

But the 2016 Russian epic Viking (originally Викинг ) isn't that movie. And thank Odin for that. viking the movie

When you hear the word "Viking," your brain probably defaults to a predictable image: a grimy brute with braided hair, swinging an axe while screaming for Valhalla. Hollywood has given us that version for decades. If you are a history buff tired of

(Deducting one point for the occasional shaky-cam, but adding a bonus point for the most realistic shield wall ever put to film.) But the 2016 Russian epic Viking (originally Викинг

One of the film's most fascinating threads is religion. Vladimir is a pagan who respects Perun (the thunder god), but the shadow of Byzantium and Christianity looms over everything. The movie treats the "magic" brilliantly—you are never sure if the seers, witches, and "walking dead" are real or just the hallucinations of traumatized, superstitious men. It leaves the mystery intact.

However, if you need a fast pace or a clear "good guy" to root for, look elsewhere. Vladimir is a historical figure who did terrible things (the film does not shy away from the Siege of Chersonesus or the political murders).

Viking is not a movie about the glory of the North. It is a movie about the weight of the crown.