When the Raven Flies (1984)

Such a frustrating disappointment

Masterful Movie

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

I was made to watch this movie in Swedish-class at school, and as I think we all know; forced watching doesn't make a good first impression of any film. But it really isn't that bad... the plot is well thought out and the acting is pretty good. The characters all have layers and a depth that adds to the plot. And if that wasn't enough the scenery is stunning. However, that ridiculous music as taken from a car hunt in a cop movie from the 80's that's played in the horse riding scenes is hilarious. After the first time it came on I just couldn't take anything beyond that seriously. Watching it in 2016 it feels as if they made parody of their own movie, IN the movie itself. But, even though I feel rather strongly about this whole riding-a-horse-on-the-beach-music it really is a film I think is worth watching. It's a big part of Icelandic film-history and it's very nice to see some vikings portrayed differently from the americanized barbaric stereotype. 5/10 Icelandic horses for vikings and funny music.

Hrafninn flygur and its follow on movies Í skugga hrafnsins and Den vite vikingen are, up to now the best Viking films produced. Also "Vägvisaren" is in this same style, but more a reflection of the lapps in the north.Along Scandinavian cineastic traditions, the brutality is real, hard and authentic;There is ice, snow, fire, metal and leather and a good story about poetic justice.Scandinavian historical films, despite a rich history, literature and film tradition are sadly a too neglected theme. We still await the most epic film ever: Röde orm. Please make a film on this book!

Gest goes to Iceland in 894 to avenge the killers of his parents. There are some memorable moments in this film. The opening credits scene revealing the Icelandic coast with the powerful music lets us know we're in for something different. Gest is heavily influenced by The Man with no Name in Leone's westerns and Einarsson does a good job portraying such a figure.The opening scenes are the best, especially the 'Tungur Knivur' scene. The film goes on too long and I didn't like the sanctimonious message in the end especially when the director's commentary on the DVD confirmed that he was trying to show the futility of violence. If somebody walks all over you you gotta stand up for yourself. It was also unrealistic. Gest would really have held on to those knives considering it was ninth century Iceland and how the hell was he going to get home.

Being Icelandic I'm of course proud of most films made in Iceland, and they do get better every year. The only thing I sometimes criticise is that we, Icelanders, try to be TOO clever. We don't allow ourselves to just make pure action or pure comedy, but it seems we have to try to add some artistic flair to all our films. Hrafninn flygur is a viking-action film, which keeps your interest from beginning to end. The costumes and surroundings are beautiful, and the story is a good old revenge-your-parents tale, but with enough twists and side stories to keep ones interest fully. I have many friends around the globe, and Hrafninn flygur is one of the few films that I would recommend to anyone for pure entertainment value. Sadly, this film is not available any more, so we will just have to hope that one of these days they will re-release it.