'The Northman' goes heavy on blood-soaked style and light on substance
CNN
Part "Hamlet," part "Conan the Barbarian" and a whole lot of "Vikings," "The Northman" is a gorgeously shot exercise in visceral thrills that goes heavy on atmospherics and very, very light on story.
Seldom has a trailer so neatly summed up what a movie is all about, with young prince Amleth witnessing the death of his father, the king (Ethan Hawke), at the hands of the king's brother, Fjölnir (Claes Bang). Fleeing for his life, the boy vows revenge as well as to liberate his mother (Nicole Kidman), with dad having helpfully given him a pep talk about the importance of vengeance even before this act of fratricide cemented Amleth's destiny.
Flash forward many years, and Amleth has grown into Alexander Skarsgård, who has clearly been living a brutal existence while pounding the Viking equivalent of protein shakes. Hearing that his uncle has been deposed and now presides over a farm in Iceland, he arranges to be sent there as a slave, bringing him within reach of fulfilling his long-percolating quest.
A grand jury voted against indicting New York Attorney General Letitia James after being asked to look at the mortgage fraud case against her a second time, according to multiple people familiar with the development Thursday.
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