The Best Action Movie of 1999 and the Best Viking Movie Ever

Rating: 8/10 (1 February 2000)

This film got very mixed reviews when it was released - I saw some critics give it the highest marks while others trashed it as, in their opinions, one of the worst films of the year. I personally agree with the critics who liked this film and think its the best movie ever made about the Vikings (although there, unfortunately, aren't many other Viking films for comparison) and I think it will grow in popularity over time like other unique films that initially failed with critics and at the box office (like "Blade Runner"). This is a pure testosterone movie that tells, through the eyes of an Arabian poet, the story of Vikings fighting against a mysterious and cannibalistic tribe. Based on an older Michael Crichton novel called "The Eaters of the Dead," this movie takes itself seriously - no wisecracking sidekicks or other dumb movie cliches are to be found here (which, inexplicably, was something the critics who hated the movie complained about - I guess they prefer every action/adventure movie to be campy and tongue-in-cheek like "Congo" or "The Mummy"). And, by taking itself seriously, the nobility of the Vikings and their code of honor comes through strongly by the end of the film. If I had to criticize anything in the film, its that the battle scenes are too dark and hard-to-see. While I greatly admire naturally-lit films, and these scenes do capture what a fight in the dark of night without artificial lighting would be like, I think they should have bend a bit towards standard movie convention and used more lighting in these scenes. Still, despite that complaint, this is the best action film of 1999 and it is definitely worth a look (8/10 stars).