Review: Valhalla Rising (2010)

Those expecting high-octane Norse axe-wielding will be discouraged by the lyrical and rhythmic Valhalla Rising, a hushed, minimalistic viking travelogue from Danish provocateur Nicolas Winding Refn, who seems to be channeling Terence Malick here with his primal, uncharted landscapes.
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Split into six "parts", it charts the journey of an enslaved fighter named One-Eye (Mads Mikkelson) from his initial escape to his partnership with a pack of Christian crusaders bent on retaking the holy land before becoming hopelessly sidetracked.
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The film jolts with startling outbursts of brutality juxtaposed against the seemingly peaceful, motionless terrain, and the journey - a desperate, contentious half-quest - is certainly not for the faint of heart, but by its prophecy-fulfilling conclusion, the mood it manages to evoke more than makes up for its middling prophecies and philosophical quandaries. It's frequently dazzling filmmaking. [B+]