For director Robert Eggers, it’s all in the detail. And that keen eye for accuracy and period has become his trademark over the course of just four films, along with a taste for violent horror and the darkest of atmospheres. His third film, The Northman (2022) has it all, plus the spectacle of an epic and a very familiar storyline. And it charges onto Netflix today, Thursday, August 28.
Based on the Norse legend of the Viking prince, Amleth, the film follows the young nobleman on his quest for bloody vengeance against the uncle who murdered his father and married his widowed mother. Sounds familiar? It should do. It’s the tale that inspired Shakespeare’s Hamlet, although his version was inevitably more wordy than Eggers’. Alexander Skarsgard plays Amleth who, as a boy, witnessed the slaughter of his father, King Aurvandil (Ethan Hawke), at the hands of his uncle Fjolnir’s (Claes Bang) henchmen. Unable to tolerate the marriage of his uncle and his mother (Nicole Kidman), the prince escapes and grows into manhood in exile, obsessed with the thought of avenging his father’s death but, when he returns home, his plans turn out to have broader ramifications, kick-starting a bigger, and more terrifying, retribution.
Although Eggers is more than happy to retain the Shakespearean echoes, the film is still very much his. The story has been honed down to be more direct and muscular so the hesitation that plagued the Danish prince simply isn’t there. Nor is the feigned mental illness. It’s all swept away to give us a single-minded prince, roaring in anger and clad simply but spectacularly in a loincloth and wolf’s head. The result is a film with all the violence and chaotic brutality that goes with its Viking setting, one that takes delight in going over the top in its action sequences and is utterly compulsive viewing. Critics on Rotten Tomatoes agreed, giving it a massive 90% score.
The release of The Northman cemented Eggers’ reputation as a director to watch, one with a distinctive style and the courage to give familiar stories a radical re-interpretation. His first feature, The Witch (2015), was set in New England in the 1630s and was based on the infamous Salem witch trials, which actually took place decades later. With its brooding menace and atmospheric photography, its story of the disintegration of a family facing an all-powerful evil made Eggers the darling of the indie circuit, earning him a Spirit Award and a directing award from Sundance, as well as many other nominations.
Fans had to wait four years for The Lighthouse (2019), a dark psychological two-hander with Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson stranded on a remote island and trying to preserve their sanity. His fourth, and most recent, movie arrived last year, two years after The Northman, and took a startlingly fresh look at one of the greatest of all horror stories. Nosferatu (2024) was a gloriously gothic tale of obsession, with highly-praised performances and a deeply sinister Count Orlok (an almost unrecognisable Bill Skarsgard). It was also a box office success, grossing nearly $182 million worldwide.
Aside from his own individual approach to storytelling, one of the reasons behind Eggers’ success is his unofficial repertory company of frequent collaborators. The striking visuals and atmospheric photography are all down to cinematographer Jarin Blaschke, who has been behind the camera for all four of the director’s films. Whether it’s the grainy black and white of The Lighthouse, the mixture of tones in The Northman or the subtlety and shadows of natural light in The Witch, he never fails to capture Eggers’ vision and won Oscar nominations for both The Lighthouse and Nosferatu. It’s a collaboration set to continue with the director’s next film, Werwulf, which is scheduled for release towards the end of next year.
That film also looks likely to see Eggers reunited with a number of actors, especially Willem Dafoe, so memorably grizzled in The Lighthouse and manic in The Northman. He’s also in discussions to appear in what looks like being the director’s next film after Werwulf, a re-working of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. It’s a lip-smacking prospect. Aaron Taylor-Johnson from Nosferatu is also confirmed for Werwulf and his co-star Lily-Rose Depp is in talks to join him.
Roger Eggers’ name on a film immediately points to a real experience, often with a fresh viewpoint on a classic story. And, if horror is added to the mix, so much the better. The Northman has the lot.
The Northman is now on Netflix in the UK and is on Prime Video in the US.
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