Set between the eighth and 11th centuries against the stark, gloomy and filth-ridden world of pre-Christian Denmark, we’re introduced to One Eye (Mads Mikkelsen, the villain in Casino Royale). He’s a fearsome and mute warrior and slave for a Norse clan, and he disposes of his opponents with frightening efficiency while earning coin for his captors. One Eye is sold off, but after the sale he gets free of his shackles (literally) and makes a bloodbath of his new owners, except for a young boy named Are (Maarten Stevenson), the one sympathetic person who’d bring him food and water. Up till this point, Valhalla Rising plays like some sparse deconstructionist version of Gladiator — hyper-realistic violence, stunningly filmed desolate landscapes and little to no dialogue. One Eye soon encounters an army of Vikings who’ve been sent on a holy mission to spread Christianity and have been slaughtering the Danes (who were pagans) as part of their crusade. The Vikings enlist One Eye in their religious journey promising him that his sins will be forgiven once they reach Jerusalem. They’re barely on their boat before the journey turns sinister.
