HAMMER OF THE GODS

The year is 871 AD and middle England is considered treacherous territory with the invading Vikings coming up against ever growing Saxon resistance. Bagsecg (James Cosmo) the king of the Vikings has called for reinforcements lead by his son, Prince Steiner (Charlie Bewley). The Prince’s clan includes lifelong friend Hagen (Clive Standen), the intelligent Jokul (Guy Flanagan) and the rather overzealous and aptly titled Grim (Michael Jibson).

As they wait for the rest of the army to arrive on England’s shores Bagsecg gives his sons’ clan a mission. Find the one who is "…brave enough to wield the Hammer of the Gods.." The King is referring to his first born, Hakan.

It is a time when oaths are upheld with honour and only broken by death. A time of superstitions such as the ‘bones’ talking, omens and rune stones dictating fate while tactics are mystically commanded by the moon.

As Steiner gallantly undertakes his father’s mission he must overcome bands of vicious warriors, homosexual adversaries and the odd cup of psychedelic mushroom tea...!

Well what we have here folks is a mighty fine slice of Vikingsploitation! Filmed on location at the settings of Pembrokeshire, Snowdonia and the Brecon Beacons in Wales the HOTG has a truly cinematic look. Stephan Pehrsson’s cinematography exhibits the breath-taking Welsh countryside with aplomb with the movies 2.35:1 aspect ratio giving the picture a truly grand aesthetic. It’s a shame the climatic third of the movie switched to flame lit darkened caves considering the opening hour was awash with ruby tinged skies, vast mountainous scenery and atmospheric mists that left a lasting impression.

Although set in a specific era, the movie does have a tendency to veer away from being historically correct. Apart from the Viking contingent having somewhat modern hair styles, the fight scenes feature pockets of Vikings and Saxons engaging in brutal skirmishes as oppose to mass battles. That said, the intimacy of the clashes does at least mean there is a bountiful supply of violence on show.

But my personal favourite clanger from a historical point of view has to be the language. Not only does the "Viking" contingent speak with British accents, there is a liberal airing of profanity throughout. Now I am no historian but some rudimentary research shows the first recorded use of the "F" word occurred around the 1500’s give or take a century. But at least these foul mouthed Scandinavian warriors were somewhat creative even if not very plausible in the use of swearing! We have phrases such as "Fuck you heathen", "cocksucking maniac" "fat fuck" and my personal favourite "your cunt fuck of a brother"!

While CG is used for some of the gore I found myself scrutinizing the picture closely before noticing. Basically the CG is NOT exaggerated and along with some fantastic sound effects (including some chokingly realistic ‘blood gurgling’!) the fight sequences, although on a small scale, are highly enjoyable.

Thankfully the close up gore scenes such as post battle protruding bones, spilled out guts and shattered skulls come courtesy of some superb prosthetics.

The movie is an "18" and I found this justified overall. The nastiest scene for me were depictions of a women chained to a rock being continuously stoned and repeatedly punched in the face before her temporary escape resulted in a suitably violent demise.

The picture quality, helped by some astute post production tinkering effects, was clear and suited the movies medieval atmosphere. But I found the sound particularly effective. The rear speakers were put to considerable use within the Dolby Stereo 5.1 soundtrack. There was no end of sea waves, distant thunder and squawking crows to widen the viewing experience and give the movie a legitimate feel.

The disc comes complete with a fair selection of bonus material. For starters we have a 36 minute chapter containing interviews with the main cast players. The discourse strikes a nice balance between personal and professional opinions of the film shoot. A distinct air of respect for both the director and the awe inspiring location of the shoot were generously conveyed.

In a 21 minute "Making of..." featurette we get to hear first-hand from director Farren Blackburn himself from the movies set.

"Behind the VFX" may only be 6 minutes long but here we delve into the computer wizardry employed throughout the movie. It’s an honest look at of how technology can be shrewdly used in the contemporary post production process to strikingly enhance a pictures aesthetic.

The menu is completed by an audio selection screen. You can choose from English Dolby Digital 5.1 or 2.0 and both are complimented by optional English sdh subtitles. Chapter Selection is divided into 16 segments which again can be accessed through the opening menu.

Overall I really enjoyed Blackburn’s flick. Some impressive performances with energetic fight scenes and quality acting were in turn augmented by a few twists within the plot to keep the narrative interesting. The pace did slow somewhat in the final third but a fitting conclusion just about justified this measured tempo. Of course the movie has an arresting look to it and is loaded with violence which leads me to suggesting you watch with a leg of lamb in one hand and a goblet of mead in the other!

Review by Marc Lissenburg