Pretty Good

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

The thing that shines most out of this film is the plot. The avenging son doesn't just come and kill people, he uses cunning to make them trust him and distrust each other, he separates them and then kills them when he has the upper hand.The problem, though, is the amateurish directing and acting, something that I know well enough from my own country's productions. The fact that the language is Icelandic (and the horses, too, that's funny) doesn't help much, nor does the clearly minute budget.In a way, I agree with many of the people that reviewed this positively: this felt like a real life Viking saga, with normal folk being dressed in animal fur and fighting with bow and knife in a dreary land. However, too much realism is bad as well, and I imagine the film would be liked only by a minority of viewers because of it. In fact, it feels like old Spaghetti westerns at times, with the bad sound and silly music added after the filming.Now, I can imagine this done by Hollywood. They would definitely remove what was good with the script, because their heroes must always be moral and trustworthy, either white or black. The role of the woman would be relegated to something helpless, begging for assistance, rather than the courageous stance the Icelandic character takes. The fights would be epic, touching steampunk, with weird contraptions that mass murder tens of people (but without blood). When I compare this projection to the actual film, the Icelandic version wins, however I can't help think of what this could have been with just a little more resources at their disposal.

Lovely movie, I actually had the luck to be able to see it while i was in school. I saw it several times and was facinated. Bloodvengance in Iceland, vikings that appear as vikings,and not with the silly horns or their helmets. Just the down and dirty,realistic fighting that was so common between clans in Iceland and the rest of Scandinavia during the iron-age and the early medieval era. The tale of vengeance and killing really grips me. I recommend this movie to anyone who want to see a movie that portrais, or at least gives a glimpse of what it could have been like, and is not destroyed by Hollywood's myths about vikings. For those of you who want to see what is perhaps the best movies about vikings and see this one and if you like it see the follow up In the Shadow of the Raven.

I bought this movie off of ebay thinking it could be a well made viking movie made by actual Scandinavians, but I was wrong. Now I regret watching because it was so awful. The cinematography was uninspired, the acting was OK, and the action boring. Never once do you get to see the harsh and beautiful Icelandic landscape (I've been there), only the shore and the vikings' huts. There are some interesting characters, but they were never developed. The Irishman seems like a sadistic killer since he seems to kill every viking he meets, how could he know which ones pillaged his village? He even throws a knife into a guy's mouth as he yawns, what did that guy ever do to deserve that? The action was also terrible, the Irishman kills by throwing knives and never actually confronts his enemies. The vikings themselves use strange machete looking swords. If I wanted to make a film taking place in Iceland I would first show off the Icelandic landscape, create interesting characters who have motives, and then show more of the viking culture itself: the weaponry and armor, the religion, the sailing, the long-ships, etc. 'Revenge of the Barbarians' fails at all this and was a disappointment. If you want to see the Icelandic landscape I would recommend seeing 'The Viking Sagas,' which is a bad movie, but bad enough that it's entertaining. If you want to see something that's actually an interesting movie, though Hollywood, see 'The Vikings' or for something more lighthearted 'The Longships'. I haven't see this year's 'Beowulf and Grendel' but it sounds like an interesting film. See 'Revenge of the Barbarians' if you want to see how NOT to make a movie about the Vikings.

Gest goes to Iceland in 894 to avenge the killers of his parents. There are some memorable moments in this film. The opening credits scene revealing the Icelandic coast with the powerful music lets us know we're in for something different. Gest is heavily influenced by The Man with no Name in Leone's westerns and Einarsson does a good job portraying such a figure.The opening scenes are the best, especially the 'Tungur Knivur' scene. The film goes on too long and I didn't like the sanctimonious message in the end especially when the director's commentary on the DVD confirmed that he was trying to show the futility of violence. If somebody walks all over you you gotta stand up for yourself. It was also unrealistic. Gest would really have held on to those knives considering it was ninth century Iceland and how the hell was he going to get home.