Valhalla Rising

Theatrical Release Date: 2010 07 16 (USA - Limited)

UPC: 030306975894

Studio: IFC Films

MPAA Rating: NR   Contains:[Graphic Violence]

Summary: A man with a remarkable talent for violence must fight to survive when he sets out on an extraordinary journey in this fantasy from director Nicolas Winding Refn. One Eye (Mads Mikkelsen) is the nickname given to a nameless, mute warrior who has become a slave to Barde (Alexander Morton), a wealthy Scotsman who obtained One Eye for his remarkable fighting skills. One Eye is a fierce warrior but shows little loyalty to his master, and when the opportunity presents itself, One Eye murders Barde and his mercenaries and sets off on his own, with a young boy (Maarten Stevenson) tagging along to speak on his behalf. Eager to leave Denmark behind in favor of freedom and adventure, One Eye throws in his lot with a band of Christian Vikings, who've set out on an ambitious quest to travel to Jerusalem and claim the Holy Land as their own. But the voyage to the Holy City is a difficult one, and the Vikings are met with violent resistance, forcing One Eye to rely on his talents as a warrior to protect himself and his young apprentice. Valhalla Rising received its North American premiere at the 2009 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Category: Adventure

Awards: Film Presented – Venice International Film Festival Film Presented – Toronto International Film Festival Film Presented – London Film Festival Film Presented – Rotterdam International Film Festival

Features: Trailer

Valhalla Rising

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 11/30/2010

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Cinemascope

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1

Runtime: 93 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English

Subtitles: Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Disc #1 -- Valhalla Rising
1. Wrath [5:58]
2. Caged [4:23]
3. Spearhead [4:43]
4. Escape [4:50]
5. Silent Warrior [5:53]
6. A Few Questioning [3:31]
7. Men of God [6:37]
8. A Curse? [6:57]
9. The Holy Land [5:02]
10. Where Are We? [7:58]
11. Hell [9:32]
12. Parting of Ways [5:34]
13. The Sacrifice [4:59]
14. What Will Happen? [5:02]
15. Accepting Fate [5:43]
16. End Credits [5:49]

Jason Buchanan

Nicolas Winding Refn's Valhalla Rising does for Norse mythology what Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey did for space exploration. For that reason alone it's bound to be misunderstood, misinterpreted, and reviled by viewers in search of some easily digestible entertainment. Those who don't mind a bit of a challenge, however, will savor Refn's methodical, deliberate, and hallucinatory approach to the tale of a mute, one-eyed warrior's slow descent into hell. Broken up into six chapters, the film unfolds at a creeping pace. But it's never boring; with mounting dread, stunning cinematography, sudden blasts of violence, and a mesmerizing score by Peter Kyed and Peter Peter, it's unceasingly intense, and impossible to look away from. Somewhere in the Scottish highlands, a stoic warrior named One-Eye (Mads Mikkelsen) languishes in a hillside cage. He is a prisoner, held against his will and forced to fight for his own survival. One day, while bathing in the river, he finds an arrowhead, and uses it to escape. After impaling his warden's head on a stake, One-Eye is followed over a hill by a young slave named Are (Maarten Stevenson), who previously tended to him while he was locked up. Eventually, the pair crosses paths with a group of Christian crusaders, and joins them on their journey to Jerusalem. After becoming lost at sea in a dense fog, the weary travelers discover that they have drifted far off-course. Now stranded in a strange land, they are forced to confront their deepest fears while struggling with the discovery that they are not alone. For many movie fans, the mere mention of Vikings or Norse mythology conjures up images of massive armies and epic battles. But Refn and co-screenwriter Roy Jacobsen are interested in deeper issues than humankind's preoccupation with clashing swords, and anyone hoping for an action-packed adventure is best advised to steer far clear of this enigmatic, meditative tale. Giving the film the look and feel of a particularly stark Hieronymus Bosch painting, cinematographer Morten S?borg masterfully conveys One-Eye's supernatural clairvoyance and externalizes the supporting characters' existential paranoia, negating the need for dialogue through the use of captivating imagery that's steeped in symbolism and subtext. Patient viewers will find it a deeply rewarding, transcendently beautiful experience. Clocking in at just 90 minutes, Valhalla Rising takes us on a brutal, cerebral journey that's unusually profound for a film of such brevity, effectively proving that a film needn't be forebodingly cumbersome in order to tell a serious-minded, richly textured story. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Linda James  Executive Producer 
Joni Sighvatsson  Executive Producer 
Yves Chevalier  Executive Producer 
Lene Břrglum  Executive Producer 
Henrik Danstrup  Producer 
Peter Peter  Composer (Music Score) 
Nicolas Winding Refn  Director 
Nicolas Winding Refn  Screenwriter 
Bo Ehrhardt  Producer 
Thorir S. Sigurjónsson  Executive Producer 
Johnny Andersen  Producer 
Christine Alderson  Executive Producer 
Peter Kyed  Composer (Music Score) 
Carole Sheridan  Executive Producer 
Mads Peter Ole Olsen  Executive Producer 
Roy Jacobsen  Screenwriter 
Mads Mikkelsen  Actor 
Maarten Stevenson  Actor 
Gordon Brown  Actor 
Andrew Flanagan  Actor 
Gary Lewis  Actor 
Gary McCormack  Actor 
Alexander Morton  Actor 
Jamie Sives  Actor 
Ewan Stewart  Actor 
Matthew Zajac  Actor 

Country: Denmark,UK,USA