The Viking Sagas ( 1995)

The Viking Sagas (1995)-* *1\2

Directed by: Michael Chapman

Starring: Ralf Moeller,  Ingibjorg Stefansdottir, Henrik Olafsson and Sven-Ole Thorsen







 "Bad Luck"-Ketil



Set in the Iceland of medieval times, The Viking Sagas tells the story of Kjartan (Moeller), a lone Viking trying to find his way in a very confusing and constantly-changing world. In order to take on and defeat his rivals, he needs a mystical weapon called The Ghost Sword. But even then he is not trained in the ways of battle, so a more experienced Viking, Gunnar (Thorsen) agrees to train him. Making his quest a lot more pleasant is the beautiful maiden Gudrun (Stefansdottir). The forces of darkness are represented by Ketil (Olafsson), and Kjartan, Gudrun and Gunnar must defend their honor, their land, and their freedom, as Kjartan also avenges the death of his father. Will they succeed?

It’s “Brakus The Viking” as Ralf Moeller treks across Iceland in a chain mail vest in this so-so period piece. The locations are visually interesting, and they’re shot well, and Sven-Ole Thorsen is perfectly cast in the role he was truly born to play, but The Viking Sagas lacks coherence. 

The decision to use a narrator who is constantly naming characters and events doesn’t help the confusing factor. The “battle violence” is decent, but it can’t patch over some of the more plain and mediocre aspects of the overall film. There’s a certain earnestness about the whole project, which seems like a misplaced tone. There should have been a bit more verve.

The fact that the movie was directed by Michael Chapman, who is an Academy Award nominee for best cinematography for Raging Bull (1980), among others, and that the film was released on VHS by New Line with a bunch of trailers for more mainstream material such as The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) and Last Man Standing (1996), seems a bit odd. The Viking Sagas seems like it would have been released by Vestron, Academy or Continental in 1989. We’re guessing Harvey Weinstein isn’t constantly name-checking The Viking Sagas at his high-level Hollywood meetings. But, it presaged Game Of Thrones by many years, so maybe there should be some pride there.

Was there a huge demand for Viking-based Sagas in the 90’s? This particular Saga hits all the bullet points of what should be involved, such as a beautiful maiden, axe battles, snow, etc., but it’s unlikely to inspire viewers. 

That being said, the end credits are amazing. We’ve never highlighted that before (nor has any other movie reviewer, probably) - Just watching them, you see a dizzying myriad of crazy letter combinations, accent marks, letters not in English mixed in, and credits such as Robert “Bloodaxe” Brakey - where else are you going to see that? (He was a first assistant editor, by the by). That must be one seriously badass Editor. We’re guessing he edits film with an axe.

The Viking Sagas is completely hit or miss. There are some great moments, but they’re mixed in to an overall project which is...mixed. Fans of this historical period may want to check it out. For others, it’s probably not worth going out of your way for.

Comeuppance Review by: Ty and Brett

Tiger Cage (1988)

Tiger Cage (1988)-* * *1\2

Directed by: Woo Ping-Yuen

Starring: Jacky Cheung, Simon Yam, Carol Cheng, and Donnie Yen













Hong Kong detectives Fan (Cheung), Shirley (Cheng), and Terry (Yen), among others, are a select band of cops set up to be a hard-hitting narcotics squad. As they take down the drug-dealing baddies, they realize there is a conspiracy that goes all the way to the top. It even involves police corruption at the highest levels. When it’s discovered that there is a tape that shows some of the illegal doings, all hell breaks loose as the forces of evil vie for the tape, while the good cops must protect it  - at any cost.

We absolutely loved Tiger Cage. If you love those classic Hong Kong police actioners from the golden age of the 80’s/early 90’s, this one is a killer. It’s fast paced, colorful, exciting, and has plenty of bone-breaking action. There’s tons of shooting in a gritty urban environment, but also some top notch Martial Arts battles as well. Donnie Yen’s big fight scene naturally stands out. Speaking of Yen, Tiger Cage is kind of like Flashpoint (2007) before Flashpoint. The stunt work is awesome, as many characters take a lot of punishment and keep on coming. The whole movie has that dynamism and infectious energy that makes these Hong Kong productions so addictive. 

This kind of violent, no-holds-barred style is like manna from heaven for action fans and makes productions from regions other than Hong Kong seem slow and dull by comparison.

It’s not just a mindless shoot-em-up, however. Interwoven are the timeless themes of honor, betrayal and loyalty. This emotional approach gives the film (as well as other HK productions) its unique flavor and gives the violent doings a reason to exist. There are characters you really, really root for, as well as some super-evil bad guys. You never lose interest in what you see on the screen. Adding yet another layer of greatness is the fact that VCRs play a pretty important role in the movie. So it gets in that 80’s flavor as well.

If you can see this on Netflix Streaming, do, because it’s a top-notch stream in widescreen with subtitles. But any way you see Tiger Cage, it truly delivers the goods.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Also check out a write-up by our buddy, A Hero Never Dies!