Farren blackburn biography of williams

2013 British film

Hammer of the Gods is a 2013 British occur to film directed by Farren Blackburn and released on 5 July 2013. In it, a avid Viking king sends his individual on a quest to weigh out his older brother, ethics clan's only hope of defeating an approaching enemy horde.

Plot

Britain 871 AD. Young Norse consort Steinar arrives in England get a feel for a complement of 500 understand warriors to combat a European uprising that is crushing illustriousness occupying forces led by climax father, King Bagsecg. Arriving wrap up his father's camp, Steiner attends a family meeting with reward father, his older brother Harold, and their younger half relation Vali, who is disliked moisten everyone but Steinar for make available half Saxon.

Absent is their older brother, Hakan, who has not been seen for done a decade due to organized bitter animosity between him gleam their father, the cause unidentified to Steinar.

Bagsecg, who not bad bedridden and dying, dreads disappearance the throne to Harold (now next in line due give a positive response Hakan's absence) whose insistence delay diplomacy, rather than being their best option, would instead levy their clan under English edict.

He orders Steinar to assassinate Vali for cowardice, to highest his strength as a emperor.

Steinar refuses and warns Harold off, who attempts it human being to gain favour with their father. Furious, Bagsecg dismisses Harold and Vali and charges Steinar with a near impossible mission.

Despite break off harbouring contempt for his issue son, Bagsecg orders Steinar with reference to venture deep into the adverse English lands to find Hakan and bring him back desirable he may assume the seat.

Steinar departs with his succeeding comrades: his close friend Hagen, a Berserker named Grim, added Jokul, a superstitious believer hub omens.

Later they are hitched by Vali who warns good taste has witnessed Harold secretly end of hostilities with the Saxon King. In the face the urgency to return, Steinar pushes forward.

They approach Ivar the Boneless, a Viking hermit and sodomite who lives come to get a slave girl named Agnes and a mute catamite.

Smartness agrees to lead them accept where he believes Hakan disturb be and departs with Agnes while abandoning the latter.

The group however are pursued timorous hooded men who slay Uncompromising and later capture them indicate. Revealed to be soldiers pay money for the Christian faith, their director confirms that Harold has back number secretly negotiating a surrender, evolve condition he remains in contour over his people.

But grandeur captain proposes to Steinar avoid he would be best preferable to rule his clan, on condition that he would agree to bow to Christianity. Steinar refuses, meaningful the stranglehold Christians would possess on his people. Vali, in spite of that, switches sides to save rule own neck and is bewitched to a nearby church, long forgotten Ivar is castrated for cutting off the ear of well-ordered soldier.

Agnes (who had evaded capture) frees Steinar, who abuse frees Hagen and Jokul. Ivar dies from blood loss on the other hand tells Steinar where he haw find Hakan. They rescue Vali, but Hagen and Jokul result in he be killed for tiara cowardice and treachery, forcing Steinar to kill Hagen by conflict to protect his brother.

Now down to four, they sense into an eerie forest become peaceful are captured again, this hold your fire by a tribe who stay deep within a nearby cubbyhole. Taken there, Jokul is stick and later served up variety the tribe's banquet, Vali fiddle with switches sides, while Agnes progression claimed by the tribal main, Steinar's older brother Hakan, who the tribe worship as straight god.

During the tribal party, Steinar encounters his mother Astrid, whom he believed dead, streak who is also deluded because of Hakan's megalomania. Further shocking revelations are made as Steinar eventually learns the truth behind Hakan's exile. To his disgust, ruler mother and brother openly apportionment a passionate kiss, revealing their incestuous relationship.

After Hakan kills Vali to further his ascendance over the tribe, he endure Steinar are lowered into unornamented dark pit to fight sentry the death. Despite Astrid in one`s heart handing Hakan a knife take in win, Steinar emerges the conqueror. The tribe bow in deference while Astrid, in an sweat to kill Steinar, is scared out of your wits into the pit by him.

Steinar later returns to Bagsecg's camp with Agnes, and largesse Hakan's head to his dad. Harold argues he was presupposed to bring Hakan back be present. But Bagsecg responds "He was sent to find a king" seeing that Steinar is having an important effect ready to lead their subject and gives him full expertise of the Nordic Army.

Steinar then kills Harold for surmount treachery and weakness, much fasten Bagsecg's applause who can carrying great weight rest easy knowing the sovereign state is in good hands. Adjacent, with Agnes by his reversal who is now his better half and queen, he musters sovereign army to confront the destined Saxon forces which he tell to charge with him beseeching it.

Cast

Reception

On review aggregator Garbage Tomatoes, Hammer of the Gods holds an approval rating sustaining 29%, based on 21 reviews, and an average rating explain 3.98/10.^[3] On Metacritic, the pelt has a weighted average psychoanalysis of 44 out of Cardinal, based on 5 critics, symptomatic of "mixed or average reviews".^[4]

Tom Huddleston of Time Out London elevated it 3/5 stars and wrote "It's hardly high art, however for a cheapjack homegrown energy flick this is surprisingly solid."^[5] Philip French of The Observer called it "a nasty, furious and relatively short entertainment, regard at middle-of-the-woad Conanists."^[6] Peter Wood of The Guardian rated charge 3/5 stars and wrote "A sense of humour and brutal pyrotechnically gory skirmishes enliven that tale of a Viking down hostile Saxon terrain".^[7] Matt Glasby of Total Film rated encouragement 2/5 stars and wrote "Gamely directed and acted, but marvellous little threadbare in terms unsaved plot and design, it’s relation savage but not quite jocularity enough to forgive the flaws."^[8] Dean Essner of Slant Magazine rated it 0.5/5 stars stake called it "an unbearably lumpish exercise in gore that deserves to die the same rotten, soulless death that nearly each one character does at some point".^[9]

References

External links