“Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You kill my father. Prepare to die.” Of all the memorable lines in The Princess Bride, this is the one that everyone quotes ad nauseqm. Why? Because vengeance is a powerful, intense, and incredibly cinematic concept. Robert Eggers’ 2022 film The Northman deeply understands the intense pull of vengeance, and leans ALL THE WAY into it. This wild, woolly Viking epic even gives its lead character, Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård), a three-sentence mantra that echoes (and one-ups) Montoya’s: “I will avenge you, Father! I will save you, Mother! I will kill you, Fjölnir!”
©Focus Features/Courtesy Everet