Director: Claudio Fäh
Starring: Tom Hopper, Ryan Kwanten, Ken Duken, Charlie Murphy, Ed Skrein, Anatole Taubman, Johan Hegg
Studio: Anchor Bay Entertainment
Release Date: August 11, 2015
Retail: $22.98
ASIN: B00ZCHTQGA
Rating: R
Buy Link: Amazon
Review:
Arriving on DVD and Blu-ray on August 11th is the action-adventure Northmen: A Viking Saga. The film was released theatrical, on Digital HD and on iTunes yesterday. It's directed by Claudio Fäh (Hollow Man 2, Starship Troopers: Marauder, Sniper: Reloaded), the film stars Tom Hopper (Starz's Black Sails), Ryan Kwanten (HBO's True Blood), Ken Duken (Inglorious Basterds), Charlie Murphy (Ripper Street), Ed Skrein (The Transporter: Refueled), Anatole Taubman (Taken) and Johan Hegg (death-metal band Amon Amarth)! Included on the single-disc is the featurette Northmen: A Look Inside A Viking Saga.
From a screenplay by Matthias Bauer and Bastian Zach (One Way Trip 3D), Northmen: A Viking Saga tells the tale of a small group of Viking raiders lead by Asbjörn (played by Tom Hopper), whom were all outcast by their own people. With a price on a their heads, they hop on a longship with the hope of being taken in by the Viking settlement in Danelagh.
Unfortunately, the longship gets caught in a horrible storm and the Vikings quickly find themselves capsized on the rocky coast of Alba (Scotland) . Before they can even dry off, they are attacked by a band of King of Alba's soldiers, whom were all guarding an armored wagon. After losing one of their own in the battle and killing all the soldiers, the Vikings hoped to find goods in the wagon, but that's not exactly what happens as inside the wagon is the king's daughter - Inghean (played by Charlie Murphy).
At the time the Viking raiders don't know who she is, so thinking they could pay off the bounty on their heads, they take the girl hostage. Unknowingly to them, the king could care less about his daughter and sends his army, lead by Hjorr (played by Ed Skrein) and Bovarr (played by Anatole Taubman) to kill her.
On the run with nowhere to hide, Asbjörn and his men must trust a skillful monk, Conall (played by Ryan Kwanten), to guide them through the unknown lands safely. After they realizing that they're being hunted by the king's men, the vikings must stand their ground and fight to the death.
With a thin behind enemy lines plot, I wasn't expecting too much from a low-budget Viking movie when I started to watch the DVD last night, but surprisingly I found myself entertained for 97 minutes. The acting for the most part was above decent for this kind of film, the cinematography was pretty good and the action scenes were well shot. Also, I would like to point out the beautiful locations that outdoes the CGI mountains in Hobbit trilogy. My only nitpicking is that there could have been a few subplots and more backstory to the characters. Overall, while Northmen: A Viking Saga isn't going to win any Academy Awards, it's still a good sword & sorcery flick with plenty of blood to satisfy most action fans.
*Disclaimer - I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
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