The Northman is a 2022 American epic period action drama film directed by Robert Eggers, who co-wrote the screenplay with Sjón.

It stars an ensemble cast of Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Anya Taylor-Joy, Gustav Lindh, Ethan Hawke, Björk, and Willem Dafoe.

[5][6] It later found an unexpected amount of financial success on VOD and home media, allowing it to recoup a large portion of its box office losses.

[7][8] In 895, King Aurvandill "War-Raven" returns to the island of Hrafnsey, reuniting with his wife, Queen Gudrún, and his heir, Prince Amleth.

To prepare Amleth for his eventual accession to the throne, the father and son participate in a ceremony overseen by Aurvandill's jester, Heimir.

The next morning, Amleth's bastard uncle Fjölnir stages a palace coup, beheads Aurvandill, sacks the hillfort and carries away Gudrún.

Over several nights Amleth kills prominent members of Fjölnir's estate in unnatural ways, arranging their impaled body parts into the shape of a horse in a gruesome display.

Fjölnir, discovering his wife and son dead, coldly tells Amleth to meet him at the Gates of Hel: the crater of the volcano Hekla.

Born to a Swedish family, Alexander Skarsgård had been fascinated with Viking history and mythology since childhood, and had long sought a Viking-themed project with the help of producer Lars Knudsen.

[11] Robert Eggers became interested in making a Viking film following a 2016 trip to Iceland with his wife Alexandra Shaker, who is a fan of Old Norse sagas.

[12] The story of The Northman was based primarily on the legend of Amleth as written by Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus, known as the direct inspiration for William Shakespeare's Hamlet.

[20][21] In August 2020, Björk, along with her daughter Ísadóra "Doa" Barney,[22] Kate Dickie and Ethan Hawke joined the cast of the film.

[23][24][25] In September 2020, Bill Skarsgård announced he had dropped out of the film due to scheduling conflicts and was replaced with Gustav Lindh.

[30] King Aurvandill's village was constructed at Torr Head on the coast of County Antrim, while Fjölnir's farm was built at Knockdhu near Larne.

[5][6] For the film's score, Eggers brought former Tri Angle record label artists, Robin Carolan and Vessel (Sebastian Gainsborough), for composition and production.

[41] A 160-page book written by Simon Abrams and Eggers about the film's production and research, titled The Northman: A Call to the Gods, was originally scheduled to be released on September 6, 2022, but was later pushed back to November 8.

[3][4] In the U.S. and Canada, The Northman was released alongside The Bad Guys and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, and was projected to gross $8–15 million from 3,223 theaters in its opening weekend.

"[70] In its debut weekend on PVOD in the U.S., the film was the top-rented title on iTunes, third on Vudu and fourth on Google Play, making about the same amount of revenue as The Bad Guys and The Lost City, despite grossing much less than both in theaters.

The website's critical consensus reads: "A bloody revenge epic and breathtaking visual marvel, The Northman finds filmmaker Robert Eggers expanding his scope without sacrificing any of his signature style.

"[76] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 82 out of 100 based on sixty critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

[78] The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw gave a five out of five score, praising the film's nihilistic tone and performances by the cast, stating, "It's entirely outrageous, with some epic visions of the flaring cosmos.

"[79] Digital Spy's Gabriella Geisinger also gave a five out of five score, praising Eggers's visionary direction and the film's grisly and surreal atmosphere and claiming, "The world created in The Northman is so totally absorbing".

[83] RogerEbert.com's Robert Daniels gave it three out of four, and praised the direction, cinematography and cast performances, but found that the film "often stumbles when it searches for profundity.

Scott praised the world-building and cinematography, writing, "Eggers's accomplishment lies in his fastidious, fanatical rendering of that world, down to its bed linens and cooking utensils.

"[86] The New Yorker's Richard Brody found that the film "offers no synesthesia, no evocation of any sense beside vision" and criticized Eggers's direction, ultimately concluding, "The Northman merely serves up its raw material both half-baked and overcooked.

"[87] Rolling Stone's K. Austin Collins wrote that "It's an oft-stunning visual feast," but added, "It is also an instructive example of how the most visionary intentions can't always enliven an otherwise rote story.

Its violence serves a greater purpose than simply being eye-candy, however, as it helps create a sense of realism for this folk tale adventure, treating Amleth's story as a sort of powerful mythos to be passed down across generations of Viking warriors.