BoardChiri Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Delight Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Diego Silva This film failed miserably. It couldn't capture the viewer's attention at all. I won't say I'm disappointed, as I have already watched a more hyped Norwegian piece ("The King's Choice") and didn't like it either. But "Birkebeinerne" is certainly a misadventure.Unlike European films in general, it is very formulaic and predictable, expect for a couple of moments. The background real story itself isn't attracting. The Norwegian civil war was pretty much limited to skirmishes, so any film on this topic betting on "axes and blood" would fail, because there isn't really much raw material.So, one'd think the director concentrated his efforts on the palace intrigue, the dynastic feuds. On the contrary. The plot's greatest potentiality was miserably neglected, as the director dedicated 90% of the running time to the baby's journey and the 10-20 men "battles". The major villains only starred briefly, and their dialogues were always flat and cheesy. Princess Christina, the chancellor, the imprisoned brother Inge, the "Norwegian Colonel Tavington", Egil and his sister -all these characters were nothing more than woodsticks designed to fill big plot holes the director didn't care to assess. Even the two loyal fellows who were on screen the whole time weren't convincing enough. It was particularly sad when they presented the young king at the viking-styled party; those bucholic men were persuaded to take part in a highly dangerous task just like they'd be persuaded to go to a summer camp. They weren't offered any incentive or reward or anything. I expected a powerful speech, at least.The final part was severely unrealistic. Mr. Tavington could've killed little Haakon as soon he approached him, but he chose to calmly check it. And then he was grabbed into a fight by our good hero, who seems to be rather invencible (hit by an arrow in the shoulder just some minutes before, Skjervald managed to resist the better equipped Bagler).In general, this film has some cool effects, but that's pretty much all its merit.

Mark Turner Foreign films can be hit or miss, more often than not depending on how they translate to the viewing sensibilities of the group watching the film. For example there have been movies that were well made by the French and Italians that were great films but didn't quite transfer to the viewing styles of American audiences. It didn't lessen their qualities it just didn't translate into box office gold.Then there are others that translate well but still don't achieve that pinnacle of success, box office dynamite. The good news is that these films often make their way stateside on disc format. That allows those who enjoy films from other countries the opportunity to see some great movie making going on other than what's made here. THE LAST KING is a solid offering that tells a story, does it well and holds your interest from start to finish.Based on a true story it tells the tale of early Norway, 1206 to be exact, when the king was overthrown. His son, Håkon Håkonsson, is an infant and those who still support their king send away the young child to be raised with the intent of him taking back the crown one day. Two members of the Birkebeiner, an elite skiing soldiers still loyal to the king, take the child away while the Church attempts to find him, kill him and take control of the country.Eventually word leaks out that the child has survived and it becomes the goal of these two men to protect the child at all costs. As various foes are sent to retrieve that child they face off against each threat, making their way to a safe haven. If they fail they not only lose their lives but the future of Norway as well.The film is filled with enough action sequences to hold the interest of the most jaded viewer. These work well since the odds of that "losing something in translation" problem doesn't apply to them. Expert skiing is on view that displays a fantastic set of skills for all of the stuntmen used to make this picture. The cinematography that captures these exciting sequences as well as the gorgeous views of snow covered Norway only add to the pleasure this film brings.While the names of those involved will not be recognizable to US audiences all involved do a great job offering emotions that pour forth from body movement and visual cues that aren't fully brought to life by the dialogue which is subtitled. These characters are true heroes of the highest regard and the actors bring them to life.Certainly not everyone will enjoy the film, especially those who tend to hate anything with sub titles. But for those willing to take a chance you'll find a movie that provides enough court intrigue combined with plenty of action sequences that will keep you watching from start to finish.

kosmasp I just recently watched an adaptation of a Jussi Adler-Olsen novel and some of the actors involved in that are in this one too. Funny to see them in such different roles in short amount of time. But it works and goes to show you that there are good actors all over the world (something that cannot be stressed enough, which is why I personally do watch as many and different movies as possible).But I'm probably preaching to the choir here. It's obvious that you're at least showing some interest already. And if you like movies with Vikings and stories where good and bad collide and all that juicy stuff, with some nice fighting choreography as well, than look no further. You've found what you're looking for. It may seem a bit confused at times, but it does have a clear goal in the end ... and it's really well made

MeetJohnSmith This is a fun action movie (sword and romance) set in really beautiful winter scenery. If you like Game of Thrones, but want more snow with your ax wielding heroes, this is a great film for you.I saw it in a theater, and the audience was completely in to it; it's been awhile since I've been a theater where audience members shout out encouragement to characters on screen, and it's so fun to have a movie where the audience cheers at key points. I can't remember a film in which infants were used so effectively; you truly have a concern for the characters' safety. The casting of our four heroes (Thor, Skeivie, Inga and Haakon) is perfect. Skeivie looks like they decided to cast Clay Matthews of the Green Bay packers as a heroic viking warrior. I also found the particularly compelling the fight scenes. They obviously didn't have a budget that would enable them to have a cast of thousands for their battle scenes, and somehow that gives greater believe-ability to the fight scenes. Our main heroes don't (implausibly) kill hundreds of faceless stuntmen (as is so often the case in action movies and superhero movies these days). Instead, our heroes are faced with having to take on specific opponents who seem truly intent on our heroes' demise/destruction.Slightly implausible is the topography displayed in the movie -- truly beautiful, but who knew that 99% of the topography in Norway is downhill? (I know, downhill chase scenes on skis are more compelling than uphill chase scenes on skis). The only slight weak point I would identify is the sub-story line about the young princess. OK, we know that story line is useful to show our villain is a truly bad guy, but our princess looks like she was recruited from a local mall, and told "here, put on this dress and look scared"; they didn't give her much to work with, and it shows. But one could say the same about young female characters in some of the Star War movies. Some may find annoying too that there are little story lines that appear, and then are left unresolved, like what happens to the evil queen after she exits? Because of this, on occasion, one feels like the producer is setting up plot lines for future sequels. Hopefully that's true, and a sequel is coming! I'd buy tickets immediately!