History Film / ValhallaRising

* DaylightHorror: Even in the full sunlight of rolling green hills, it manages to be both grim and dark, because everything is overtly contrasted and saturated and desaturated making any light seeming harsh.

* TheDrifter: It's mentioned that One-eye never stays in one place, among one people for more that five years.

** He does join the other Crusaders as they jump off their ship to fight the unseen indians that opened fire on them, which is again another act of defending himself and the Boy.
* RiddleForTheAges: Who was One-Eye? Were did he come from? The film leaves it open. A popular theory is that he is Odin, with the obvious parallell is his missing eye. Other hints is that the entire opening is a loose adaptation of ''Grímnismál'' with Barde standing in for Geirröth and Are as Agnarr, as well as his strange visions.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Of the crusaders, 9 are alive (excluding One-Eye and the Boy) when the ship finally reaches land. One vanishes and later returns insane, one is shot with an arrow, [[spoiler: 3 are killed by One-Eye]], the leader [[spoiler: stabs the priest and is then killed by the indians and the son of the leader's fate is left unknown]]. But what happened to the 9th memeber?

* AnAxeToGrind: One-Eye's main weapon for most of the movie is an axe.

->''"He's driven by hate. It's how he survives, and it's why he never loses. He'll come because he has to come; to finish it."''

->''"He's driven by hate. It's how he survives, and it's why he never loses. [[{{Determinator}} He'll come because he has to come; to finish it.]]"''

->''"He's driven by hate. It's how he survives, and it's why he never loses. He'll come because he has to come; to finish it."''

For years, One-Eye, a mute warrior of supernatural strength, has been held prisoner by the chieftain Barde. Aided by a boy, Are, he kills his captors and together they escape, beginning a journey into the heart of darkness. On their flight, One-Eye and Are board a Viking vessel but the ship is soon engulfed by an endless fog that first disintegrates as they sight an unknown land. As the new land reveals its secrets and the Vikings meet a ghastly fate, One-Eye discovers his true self.

* GrimDark: Even in the full sunlight of rolling green hills, it manages to be both grim and dark, because everything is overtly contrasted and saturated and desaturated making any light seeming harsh.

* TheSpeechless / TheVoiceless: it's never clarified if One-Eye ''can't'' speak or just ''doesn't.''

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: The film makes very few historical claims, but even then they don't match up very well. UsefulNotes/TheCrusades were triggered in 1095, about a century later than the purported setting of the movie.-- While the period around 1000 AD saw indeed some violent confrontations between pagans and Christians in Norway, such religious struggles had little impact in the British Isles. Then again, it's never really specified whether the first part of the movie is supposed to take place in Scotland (where it's filmed), or possibly in Norway.

* RiddleForTheAges

* ReluctantWarrior: One-Eye is enslaved and forced to fight in deadly gladiatorial games.

%%* WithMyHandsTied: Literally!