The Last King - Der Erbe des Königs

I watched it out of curiosity because I never heard the term 'Birkerbeiner' before (the beautiful tale of Håkon Håkonsson hasn't reached the bulk of ignorant Mediterranean men yet) and I am more than happy to have done it.

It wasn't really a memorable film, however: many scenes lacked realism and the plot was oversimplified, on my humble opinion. Which was something I didn't expect given the huge talent of Scandinavian screenwriters (e.g. Anders Thomas Jensen or Kim Fupz Aakeson, just to quote two of my favorites...).

In any case it was instructive and I'm sure that many people from all around the world will enjoy the story and recognize many actors such as Kristofer Hivju (from 'Game of Thrones'), Nikolaj Lie Kaas (from 'Child 44'), Thorbjørn Harr (from 'Vikings') or Pål Sverre Hagen, (from 'Kon Tiki') who I'm sure are by now familiar faces to international audiences.

The Last King (Birkebeinerne) is the fourth Northern from acclaimed Norweiagn Oscar nominee director Nils Gaup, which was Ocar nominated for his first inside just this genre, Pathfinder (Veiviseren). And this film has many parts which resembles just that film.

This is also based on an ancient old story. Back in 1206, when there was a civil war raging Norway, with basis in religion and country over the wast country in Nothern Europe. we're told the fight for the crown of the Norwegian empire. Also Pathfinder was based on a long gone true story, at least as a story told through generations.

I would think Nils Gaup should be able to make a rally good movie out of this, like he did with both Pathfinder and the brilliant The Kautokeino Rebellion. I'm afraid this film is a bit closer to the flop Tashunga. all of which were Northers, with stories i snowy landscapes.

The film wants to entertain. maybe a bit too much. The audience did laugh,several times, but the excitement and the funny parts are not that well kept together as I would like. Still this film has many interesting and worthy parts, making this an overall OK entertainment, while the true story is well kept in story telling.

This film is very beautiful, with awesome nature and winter filming. It's also fantastic to see the skiers do their part. The film functions to a great part, though there are some fighting scenes which I don't think works that well, I also found some of the dialog a bit stale, but that won't bother most watchers around the world. a couple of actors also seems like they have trouble, like Kristofer Hivju, who really uses his big eyes too much, and the young princess is also less believable, I'm afraid.

Still, this story functions enough for a 6/10.

I always enjoy historical-type movies. This one is no exception. I did stream with English 5.1 instead of subtitles, but it really didn't take away from the movie. The film depicted this era of Norway as quite brutal. I'm sure it was. Kings & heirs, civil war, brutality. It was all here. I don't judge acting so I really didn't notice if it was not perfect. I liked the plot & the movie flowed smoothly enough to follow without questioning what was happening. The scenery, well, when it wasn't overcast or snowing, was great. Lots of ski action too. Some of the scenes caught me off guard but I won't say which ones. There may have been a few hiccups, but overall I found it to be a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

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

As I am a huge fan of my country's history, this film was right up my alley. All the historical elements of the film are excellently portrayed. A few historical facts were changed a little, but not so much that it ruins the film. The changes work. The more fictional parts of the film are also very good.

The acting is also very nice. Main actors Kristofer Hivju and Jakob Oftebro have a lot of good chemistry and work well off each other. The other actors do a good job too.

The cinematography is wonderful. Beautiful shots of the Norwegian wilderness make this a spectacular viewing experience.

All in all, this film is excellent!