7. Valhalla Rising
This rarely seen gem from Nicholas Winding-Refn managed to conjure up a 5.9/10 on IMDB despite being one of the most haunting movies of 2009. A sparse, gritty film, Valhalla Rising is a typical Refn film. It is slow, almost to a fault, focusing not on dialogue or plot but on images, mood, and emotions. In many ways, Valhalla Rising is almost a silent film but I doubt there was ever a silent film near this brutal. Long stretches of the film are punctuated by scenes of brutal violence where the main character, called one-eye, reveals himself to be an unstoppable killing machine. Valhalla Rising is a study in minimalism, none of the characters except One-Eye have names, characters rarely speak, and few details are given as to where the plot is going. What Valhalla Rising succeeds at is creating an almost hallucinatory atmosphere and a tone that hints at barely controlled violence. It is a challenging watch to be sure but for patient viewers, Valhalla Rising is a brilliant work that is inherently cinematic. Now that Refn has become something of a big name with 2011's cult hit Drive, and this years Only God Forgives which is also getting unfairly mauled by critics, hopefully Valhalla Rising will receive more attention from film fans.