The Northman (15)
Directed by Robert Eggers
★★★

AFTER his horrendous The Lighthouse (two hours I will never get back), director Robert Eggers returns with an epic and stomach-churning Viking tale which isn’t for the faint of heart.

Co-written by Eggers with Icelandic author Sjon, it centres on a young Viking prince’s (Oscar Novak) quest to avenge his father’s (Ethan Hawke) murder and save his mother (Nicole Kidman), from a story apparently based on the Danish 12th-century text which inspired Hamlet.

An almost unrecognisable Alexander Skarsgard, who also produced The Northman, plays the adult prince Amleth who, 20 years later, hunts down his uncle, his dad’s killer, to Iceland, where he is living with Amleth’s mum Queen Gudrun (Kidman), who he captured and where they are raising two sons.

Visually arresting, this is nevertheless a graphically violent and hard-hitting Viking drama with supernatural overtones and a devastating film to stomach — you are witness to the brutal rape and slaughter of men, women, children and babies. It leaves nothing to the imagination. It is also tricky to tell what is real and what is drug-induced.

However, this is the most intelligible and comprehensive Robert Eggers film to date, which sees him reunited with Anya Taylor-Joy and Willem Dafoe, though Kidman and Skarsgard’s (who played husband and wife in Big Little Lies) mother-and-son relationship is truly disturbing.

Just be warned: this is a tough watch.

In cinemas

The Lost City (12A)
Directed by Adam Nee and Aaron Nee
★★★★

AS LIFE and the world continue to go to pot, this wonderfully ridiculous but fun, old-fashioned romantic adventure comedy is exactly the release we need right now.

Sandra Bullock, who also produced it, stars as Loretta, a jaded recluse and bestselling historical romance novelist who is kidnapped by an eccentric billionaire (Daniel Radcliffe on deliciously villainous form) and taken to a remote island to find a rare red diamond headdress.

Her sweet yet stupidly naive book-cover model Alan (Channing Tatum), channelling his alter ego Dash, rides to her rescue with the help of his mentor and a former Navy Seal, Jack Trainer (Brad Pitt in a memorable scene-stealing cameo).

Shot in the Dominican Republic with gorgeous sun-drenched vistas, wild chases and a killer ’80s soundtrack, this is a brilliantly entertaining and joyous laugh-out-loud jungle romp elevated by Bullock and Tatum’s screwball comic chemistry.

Tatum never hits a bum note as he bares almost all for his craft in this Romancing the Stone meets Raiders of the Lost Ark.

While Bullock’s fuchsia glitter ball jumpsuit is a character all on its own.This is epic escapism that needs to be enjoyed on the big screen.

In cinemas

Benedetta (18)
Directed by Paul Verhoeven
★★★

AFTER the abomination that was Elle, which still riles me almost six years on, controversial film-maker Paul Verhoeven returns with a lesbian nun story inspired by real events.

However, his disturbing penchant to hone in on the salacious nun-on-nun action in this case ruins what is a fascinating tale of religious and political machinations in a convent in 17th-century Italy.

Loosely based on Judith C Brown’s non-fiction book Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy, the film follows Soeur Benedetta (a mesmerising Virginie Efira), who, having gone to Pescia to take the veil as a child, as an adult manages to cleverly oust the mother superior (Charlotte Rampling) and take her position.

She claims to have Christ’s ear and that of the Virgin Mary, who replies to her prayers. Or is it all in her mind? She suffers from religious, erotic visions which at one stage involve Jesus Christ trying to rape her.

A novice Bartolomea (Daphne Batakia) comes to her aid and a heated love affair soon blossoms.

It is all very lurid, culminating in a wooden statuette of the Virgin Mary being carved into a dildo which, even as a lapsed Catholic, seemed one outrageous and sacrilegious image too far.

It is a shame because it is a fascinating tale ruined by Verhoeven’s propensity for shock and awe.

In cinemas April 16

The Great Movement (15)
Directed by Kiro Russo
★★★

THIS surreal film, which seems more like a documentary than a drama, depicts a visual snapshot of Bolivia today.

Written and directed by Kiro Russo, it follows Elder (Julio Cesar Ticona) and his mining companions as they arrive in La Paz to demand their jobs back.

Unfortunately Elder suddenly starts feeling ill but, with the help of Mama Pancha (Francisa Arce de Aro), they all find work in the market.

However, Elder’s condition worsens and Mama Pancha sends him to witch-doctor Max (Max Bautista Uchasara) to cure him.

What can I say, this is a truly weird and confusing film which blurs the lines between fact and fiction — or drama and documentary — as it moves from miners protesting to workers randomly dancing.

It stars all newcomers and first-time actors and features very minimal dialogue and extensive lingering shots of La Paz, including its traffic jams.

You really need to view this with an open mind — this is unconventional and impressionistic film-making which relies heavily on visual impact.
 

In cinemas April 16