Hrafninn flýgur

Being Icelandic I'm of course proud of most films made in Iceland, and they do get better every year. The only thing I sometimes criticise is that we, Icelanders, try to be TOO clever. We don't allow ourselves to just make pure action or pure comedy, but it seems we have to try to add some artistic flair to all our films. Hrafninn flygur is a viking-action film, which keeps your interest from beginning to end. The costumes and surroundings are beautiful, and the story is a good old revenge-your-parents tale, but with enough twists and side stories to keep ones interest fully. I have many friends around the globe, and Hrafninn flygur is one of the few films that I would recommend to anyone for pure entertainment value. Sadly, this film is not available any more, so we will just have to hope that one of these days they will re-release it.

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.

When I first saw this marvelous film in 1999 in Russia, I could not believe my own eyes - in fact, I had never seen a single Icelandic film before that, this was the first and what a great sensation! This is a highly elegant, smoothly done and excellent work. The idea is pretty simple, Gest, the main hero, comes to take revenge for his slain parents. The whole story takes place in 900's, so Iceland is still a heathen country, god Thor is frequently mentioned and his one-eyed figure is also often addressed to by several characters. What really marvels there is the superb combination of the actors' play, impeccable nature, and the spellbinding soundtrack. This terrible, never ending, incessant rain that falls throughout the film is just another character - it adds to the gloomy picture and the dark feeling of the main hero. His revenge is slow, but irreversible, he does what he thinks he has to. And he succeeds. The whole film leaves a great, lasting and powerful impression. Watch it, it is a must!

This is for me a very memorable movie. First of all it has a good story with morale in it. It deals with vengeance which can probably be among the hardest things for a man to deal with. Which is greatly illustrated at the end of the movie (without revealing too much...).

Also the story with the lone crusader seeking vengeance for the slaying of his family is very strong. And the atmosphere of the movie really helps as well. The music is very good and helps the atmosphere as does the photo. It´s dirty, grey and cold just like it should be in a relentless, unforgiving, viking movie.

This is probably the best viking movie so far, not that it has too many contenders sadly enough. I recommend this movie to anyone wanting to see a very special movie with a special atmosphere and a few nice touches. And also, the movie is almost worth seeing only to hear the wonderful icelandic language!

I rate this 7/10, one extra star for originality!

My first reaction when I finished watching this movie for the first time was, "Woah, Irish ninjas versus vikings? What can be cooler than that?" Strictly, Gest isn't a ninja-- I'm being a bit facetious-- but the throwing knives, the steely resolve, and the silent lurking can make up for the cultural gap. In all respects, this is an excellent movie. The acting is great, the plot is more than a simple revenge story, and the ending is powerful. In reflection, even the unusual music fits the story well. If you can get ahold of this movie, watch it, especially if you're not Scandinavian and don't know much about Scandinavian history or culture. It was this movie that got a lot of people I know interested in learning more about that region and that era of history.

And if you're the type who likes throwing-knives, lurking, complex revenge plots, and barbarian swordplay, this is still the movie for you.