Pathfinder Unrated Version, 2007 - Film Review
Karl Urban is a Viking Who Saves Native Americans from Vikings?
Oct 5, 2009
A new twist on history, Pathfinder is premised upon Viking marauders who were first to set foot on North American soil and to massacre indigenous peoples. With Norse explorer Leif Ericson often credited as the first European to land in North America, approximately 500 years before Christopher Columbus, Pathfinder's premise isn't that far-fetched. But that is where the semi-realism ends and the slicing and dicing begins.
Pathfinder Is the Age-Old Story of European Conquest, Except This Time, It's Viking-Style
Pathfinder begins with a woman searching the remnants of a Viking ship strewn along the shoreline. She is a Native American, a member of the real-life tribe, the Abenaki, a.k.a. the People of the Dawn. Although the movie's setting is not explicitly stated, the actual People of the Dawn resided in New England.
The woman comes across a frightened boy, the lone survivor of the shipwreck. She takes him home to her tribe, where she takes him in as her son.
Fifteen years later, the boy has grown up. The natives call him Ghost. Although his presence is more than tolerated, Ghost is not wholly accepted as a tribal member. He cannot become a Brave until he can come to terms with his own identity, a man of two worlds.
While Ghost is out hunting, Vikings, led by their sinister captain Gunner, slaughter Ghost's entire village, including his family. Ghost goes ballistic and single-handedly takes on the Viking menace at its own camp. After killing several marauders, a wounded Ghost escapes to a cave, where he is found by members of an ally tribe. He is taken unconscious to their camp, where he is healed by their leader, Pathfinder, and his love interest, Starfire.
Knowing full well that the Vikings will follow him, Ghost sets out alone to confront the Vikings while the tribe flees. He is followed by Jester, a loyal friend, Starfire, and eventually Pathfinder himself. From here on, the hack-fest begins anew, creating a high body count consisting mostly of Vikings.
Despite Its Setting and Historical Nature, Pathfinder Is a True Action Film with Little Substance
There isn't much to say about Pathfinder. Under the direction of Marcus Nispel (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003), Friday the 13th (2009)), the film comes across as a turn-of-the-10th-century version of Rambo II. Ghost, played without emotion by Karl Urban (The Chronicles of Riddick, Doom, Star Trek (2009)), literally takes on a horde of better equipped villains hell-bent on chopping off the limbs of so-called savages. Pathfinder is nothing short of bloodfest. Its plot has no substance or surprises.
The cast, too, is not awe-inspiring. All actors do well enough to suit the movie and their roles. Urban is as good as the average action star. Kevin Loring (Mosquitoes) is perhaps the most likable character, somewhat notable as Ghost's mute friend, Jester. Moon Bloodgood (Eight Below, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, Terminator Salvation) and Russell Means (The Last of the Mohicans, Natural Born Killers, Into the West) are neither impressive nor terrible. And Clancy Brown (Highlander, The Shawshank Redemption, Starship Troopers), barely recognizable under tons of make-up and speaking in an old Norse dialect, sells himself well as the evil Gunner.
Overall, Pathfinder is a decent action movie, but that's about all. For those who like the Conan movies or Rambo II, Pathfinder, and particularly the limb severing-filled unrated version, is probably a good recommendation.
Pathfinder debuted in theaters on April 13, 2007. It was released on DVD on July 31, 2007.
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