Rating: Unrated
Starring:
Karl Urban as Ghost
Russell Means as Pathfinder
Moon Bloodgood as Starfire
Jay Tavare as Blackwing
Clancy Brown as Gunnar
Nathaniel Arcand as Wind in Tree
Ralf Moeller as Ulfar
Kevin Loring as Jester
Wayne Charles Baker as Indian Father
Special Features:
Deleted Scenes
Commentary by Marcus Nispel
Featurettes The Beginning, The Design, The Build, The Shoot, The Stunts, We Shoot Now!, Clancy Brown: Cult Hero
Other Info:
Widescreen (2.40:1)
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
DTS 5.1 Surround Sound
French and Spanish Language
Running Time: 106 Minutes
Synopsis:
The following is from the official DVD description:
“The heroic story of a young Norse man raised by Native American Indians who wages a personal war against the Vikings that barbarically raided his tribe.”
This version of “Pathfinder” is unrated. The theatrical version is rated R for strong brutal violence throughout.
Mini-Review:
“Pathfinder” has a number of things going for it. It’s a great concept. The premise of Vikings vs. Indians is simple and entertaining. “Pathfinder” also features some very cool action scenes. Ghosts’ battle with the Vikings leaves plenty of opportunities for cool swordplay. Director Marcus Nispel also creates absolutely beautiful imagery on a very low budget. Every scene looks like it costs 10 times more than it really did. Nispel takes full advantage of the local scenery. With a better script I believe Nispel could create truly great films.
Despite all the positive points, “Pathfinder” does have a few problems. First of all, the gore gets a bit over the top. CG blood is added to a number of scenes. It’s done so much that it becomes comical. If a character gets a paper cut, you half expect it to start gushing gallons of computer animated blood. The movie also gets a bit repetitive. Ghost attacks Vikings, then runs away, then attacks them, then runs away. You get bored quickly as the plot stalls. Finally, despite the fact that Vikings actually did reach North America first, there’s very little historical accuracy here. The Vikings are more cool looking Frank Frazetta caricatures than historically accurate characters. Maybe realistic Vikings would have been more boring, but who knows.
As for the acting, Karl Urban proves once again he can handle action roles as Ghost. He does a lot of impressive stunts himself and it shows. Moon Bloodgood is also a beautiful addition to the cast as Starfire. I’ve always been a big fan of Clancy Brown as Gunnar. He’s almost unrecognizable, but when he yells, he sounds like his Mr. Krabs character. I kept expecting Gunnar to yell, “Aaarrrhhh!! Spongebob!!!”
I’d recommend “Pathfinder” to action movie fans, fans of the original Norwegian film this is based on, and fans of Marcus Nispel.
There aren’t that many bonus features, but what is here is good. You’ll find a small batch of Deleted Scenes. Most of the scenes just feature more of Ghost and the Vikings making their way through the wilderness. One scene shows Ghost on the frozen lake earlier, but that’s about it. You’ll also find a commentary by Marcus Nispel and a batch of featurettes. They cover the original pitch for the movie, the stunts, and shooting in the wilderness. There’s a funny featurette showing just how hard Nispel works on the film. Finally, there’s a featurette on the man himself, Clancy Brown: Cult Hero.
