I don't know if you've ever seen a movie about vikings, but as far as i know they are few. Of those I've seen this and it's predecessor are the only "true" viking movies.This movie has pretty bad image and sound quality which is understandable since its old. But it wins my heart for it's story, it follows a kind of norm in viking tales, basically an eye for an eye.I am no expert in vikings or history but i have read a lot about them and many sagas (if not all) from the "Edda", anyways i liked this movie because it feels natural and real.Some warnings though: 1. It may not be so interesting for you if you're not interested in vikings. 2. They speak Icelandic and the one i saw had Swedish subtitles only, so beware, you may not understand a word.

I suggest that this movie should not be to closely associated with "Vikings". It is an artistic interpretation of a certain stage in the evolution of societies in the most northern reaches of Europe, in which the "Viking" culture is an element-inasmuch as it refers to a seafaring population. Once established in new territory, the history of evolution seems to follow the same lines as in Western Europe. I suggest background reading of the Icelandic Sagas as a start-no doubt you will find referrals to Norwegian, Swedish and Danish annals as well. This comment is placed in the hope that a great effort, and a great result, shall be remembered some more years-BECAUSE I WANT TO HAVE THIS, AND THE FOLLOWUP, IN MY LIBRARY. And I haven't the faintest where to get hold of them...BRGDS K

"When the Raven Flies" death is coming....in this stark, brutal and gloomy tale of unrelenting vengeance. A Celtic Christian boy's family in Ireland is wiped out in a Viking raid, with his older sister carried off into sexual bondage. When he becomes a man, he tracks down the band of exiles all the way to Iceland where they await the death of their enemy, King Harald of Norway. One by one he patiently stalks each member of the band and cunningly turns their barbaric superstitions and brutish natures against them. The authenticity of the Icelandic setting and the grubbiness of the actors lend veracity to this depiction of this dark period in Scandinavian history in which the blood feuds lasted for generations. This film has a strangely compelling beauty threaded through its dominant theme of violence begetting violence in a self-perpetuating cycle.

Powerful viking movie shot on Iceland, using a cowboy manuscript for sure! The mowie portrays the cruelty, tenderness, pride and extreme violence of that era, with great reality. Still there is that bit of the lone gunman out on the prairie,(here knife-thrower on the island Iceland) which just adds to the magnificent story of revenge. Gest (main character) comes to Iceland seeking revenge over the men who slaughtered his parents and kidnapped his sister in a viking raid in Ireland. Here he finds that his sister has married one of them.Psychologically fast paced, as is the chain of events. Daring new use of music for this genre of movie, at times not all that successful.