Valhalla Rising

By this point in the week we've already met gangster Mads, sad Mads, cannibal Mads and fat Mads. VALHALLA RISING gives us perhaps the most intimidating incarnation of all: ripped Mads. 

I've never been entirely sure whether VALHALLA RISING is a Viking film, an art film or a horror film. Mads Mikkelsen plays One-Eye, a mute warrior with supernatural abilities who escapes captivity and joins a group of Norse crusaders travelling towards the Holy Land. Things don't go according to plan. And that's about as much plot as I'm willing to share!

Released between BRONSON and DRIVE, the film marked the point where Nicolas Winding Refn abandoned realism completely and began moving towards the hypnotic, dreamlike style that would later define much of his career. Mads says almost nothing for the entire runtime. Few actors have ever been better at communicating through silence, stillness and the occasional act of extraordinary violence.

Some people watch VALHALLA RISING and see a meditation on religion, colonialism and masculinity. Some see an existential journey through purgatory. Some see ninety minutes of mud, blood and sweat. VALHALLA RISING remains one of the most singular and uncompromising films Mads Mikkelsen and Nicolas Winding Refn have ever made.

I don't know whether you'll love it as much as I do, but I can guarantee you won't forget it.