North Star (1996) User Reviews

A Winter Western with a curiously rushed ending

[Wuchakk · 6/10 · 2 February 2013]

RELEASED IN 1996 and directed by Nils Gaup, "North Star" is a Western that takes place in Nome, Alaska, during a gold rush in 1899. James Caan plays the love-to-hate mogul who denies mining claims to foreigners and attempts to kill a half-breed Indian (Christopher Lambert) for the claim to a cave filled with gold, which the Natives use in their ceremonies. The half-breed ends up abducting the mogul's woman, played by the beautiful Catherine McCormack, who you might remember as Wallace's doomed wife at the beginning of "Braveheart" (1995). The Winter chase is on!

There are elements of other Westerns here, like "Death Hunt" (1981), "Valdez is Coming" (1971), "The Far Country" (1954), "North to Alaska" (1960) and "Dances With Wolves" (1990), but that's to be expected. On the originality side, it's one of the few fully Winter Westerns of which I can remember beyond "The Great Silence" (1968) and "The Hateful Eight" (2015). Of course, films like "Will Penny" (1967), "Jeremiah Johnson" (1972), "A Man Called Sledge" (1970) and a few others have some fairly long Winter sequences.

While Caan's villainy is too over-the-top for my tastes (although he does it well), I found "North Star" to be a well-done Western, except that the final 11 minutes or so feel rushed. As noted above, I was impressed that this was one of the first Westerns I've seen that focused exclusively on Winter conditions. It goes without saying that shooting in the snow is way more challenging than shooting in other seasons; and even more so if the locale is mountainous. The locations, sets and cast are all first-rate even while the storytelling has somewhat of a comic booky Grade B vibe.

But the filmmakers seemed to hurry the ending. Maybe they wanted to just complete the project and keep it under 90 minutes; or perhaps they weren't confident with the closing footage and awkwardly tried to "make it work" in the editing room. But it's not THAT bad and didn't ruin the experience for me. At the end of the day "North Star" is a worthwhile 'modern Western' that attempts something unique even while being a pastiche of the genre.

THE FILM RUNS 88 minutes and was shot in Norway. WRITERS: No less than five scripters are credited to adopting Heck Allen's novel.

GRADE: B-/C+ (5.5/10)

Not as good as I'd like it to be

[FightingWesterner · 6/10 · 18 August 2009]

North Star is unique for a European western in that it's set in Alaska, far from the sun baked deserts of the southwest. Everything else is disappointingly typical.

Caan plays a black-hearted land baron in 1899 Alaska who's systematically murdered and cheated his way into being the owner of the largest goldmines in the area. He tries to kill Lambert, a half Eskimo who had the good sense to file a claim on his people's sacred (and gold rich) cave.

It isn't boring but a chase movie where Christopher Lambert squares off against James Caan and Burt Young in a savage frontier battle for survival should have generated more heat than this, especially being that this is co-written by Sergio Donati, who also helped pen For A Few Dollars More and Once Upon A Time In The West!

It's pretty straight forward and unpretentious but it made me wish it were more compelling. The characters were pretty cardboard, though Caan seems to be having some fun swinging back and forth between greedy and treacherous to insane and out of control.

Also, everyone appears to be under-dressed. This movie takes place in Nome, Alaska during a snowstorm but everyone's dressed like it's Fall.

Lee Marvin and Charles Bronson were better in Death Hunt, watch that one first!

Far Country II

[jcohen1 · 5/10 · 30 November 2007]

Sorry friends this is a frozen turkey; just it's an interesting turkey courtesy of Caan & Young. Years back they made two superior films- The Gambler & The Killer Elite. It's nice to seem them looking so good 25 years later even considering the material.

When the movie starts I started to think of Jimmy Stewart & Walter Brennan in The Far Country. Afterwards, Valdez is Coming. By the end it just freezes to death of its own weight. It's supposed to showcaset this Highlander guy but he doesn't even rise to the level of Steven Seagal.

I laughed and enjoyed Caan as a ruthless businessman turned psycho killer but somewhere Sonny Corleone is shaking his head. John McIntire too.

Good sets, no tension, no performances = no enjoyment

[bob the moo · 29 June 2002]

Businessman Sean McLennon is the president of the miners union. He has banned all non-Americans from staking claim to the land. Moreover he is killing off people in order to then buy their claims at auction. However when his men only wound Saanteek and kill an old Indian, Saanteek returns to take revenge on McLennon and to protect his land.

Why did I bother to tape this film? The film industry is a funny thing isn't it – James Caan was at his peak in Godfather and Rollerball, while Lambert had his `peak' with Highlander – but now they both wind up in this, although for Lambert he hasn't fallen too far. The story here is very basic and starts out very dry. Unfortunately it stays that way. The characters never get interesting and the plot never ever gets any tension involved at any level. The way the ending is forced into a face off is clumsy and typical of the whole film.

Caan is OK because he never seems to take it totally seriously – certainly the plot `twists' around his character are impossible to accept without laughing. Lambert is terrible – he seems to be saying all his lines through gritted teeth as if he has his jaw wired up! The rest of the cast are also poor but the leads being bad distract from that. The cast is wooden and even then they are put to shame by the wooden sets being better than them. The sets and costumes are good and set the period well – shame the film lets them down.

Overall this is totally lacking in interest, plot, characters and any sort of action or tension whatsoever. It's not total rubbish it's just made with no conviction, no passion and is worse than bad – it's just barely mediocre.

Lambert ruins his own film

[OJT · 2/10 · 4 August 2000]

I'm sorry to say that this film only deserves 2 out of 10, due to the main character Christopher Lambert.

The expectations to this film was great here, since it's partially filmed here in Norway. (The snow scenes and great outdoor scenery is filmed at Mösvatn near Rjukan in Telemark, Norway, and the great Nils Gaup is the director.) Lamberts performance sucks big time! He does not fit into the story at all.

This snow filled western (or northern) has great actors, but due to Lambert tragic figure, the whole film just crashes to the ground, though the story should be good enough. The film also flopped big time in the cinemas, of course, due to this...

This is Nils Gaups worst film. It looks like he really lost the grip on this one. Go watch another of his films! Ofelas or Kautokeino-Opprøret, or Misery Harbour! They are all great!

a snow western

[jadflack · 4/10 · 24 August 2008]

In the latter part of the 19th century,Alaska is swamped with people claiming land for goldmines and a struggle ensues between a crooked businessman and a half breed over stolen land. This is in all aspects a western but set in land covered with snow and with sledges more than horses.Film is actually mainly norweigian made but also has other countries involved in it's production,so may even come under the euro western genre.Film is slow paced but also strangely seems rushed at times especially at a rather lacklustre climax.James Caan as the villain of the piece plays it all wide eyed and mad looking which is a little over the top.Some sporadic violence and a couple of OK moments but not enough.

Here is an example of a movie that was made two or three decades too late

[TheUnknown837-1 · 5/10 · 10 June 2007]

Had "North Star" been made in, let's say, the 60s or 70s, then I would be able to watch it and classify it as maybe an eight or nine-star film. It's got the kind of plot that would suit a 90s movie, but the way it's made is far too reminiscent of the past. And when you mix a film that looks modern with a style of the past, it comes out a bit campy. For example, the screenplay seems like it was written a long time ago and went unchanged until just now. Characters laughing at jokes and stuff that are not even remotely funny were common back in the 60s and 70s, but not in films of the 90s. I hate to say it, but sound effects and stuff in this movie like that are also no better than the Westerns of long ago. Thus, the shootouts aren't that exciting. Some parts of "North Star" go on for too long, some parts whip by way too fast.

There are some positive aspects to "North Star" though. Even though it does seem like it's made in the wrong time and kind of cheesy, it is a film that you can sit down and watch without getting bored. Sure, you'll be thinking a lot, "man, that was...weird" or "that wasn't very thrilling" or "that was disappointing", but it is a film where you want to see the rest of it. That's what made me give this film five out of ten stars for a rating. But it's still heavily flawed and had it been made twenty or thirty years before it really was, I think it would have been better.

"Nobody dies till I tell 'em to die."

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 28 October 2007]

I've probably seen James Caan more often as a villain than a hero, and the villain role suits him just fine. He goes from bad to evil to maniacal in the course of the story here, with a twist in the picture that comes out of nowhere that attempts to explain his hatred of the half breed Hudson Santeek (Christopher Lambert). That he's a half breed himself serves no purpose other than to cause this viewer to go "Oh!", so I don't know why that element was even introduced.

While watching the film, I hearkened back to my childhood days with 'Sergeant Preston Of The Yukon'; this could have been an extended episode of that show. Great footage of Alaskan sled dogs mushing through wind whipped snowy trails, not quite figuring out how competing sled teams didn't get all tangled up with each other. One thing Preston never had to put up with was getting shot and falling into icy rivers. Man, I can't imagine even being THAT cold! I wonder if the actors got bonus pay for that.

I caught this on the Encore Western Channel this evening, and I suppose the 'Western' connotation has some bearing, even if filmed as an Alaskan wilderness adventure. It's got a typically 'B' Western flavor focusing on an evil town boss (Caan) swindling local miners out of their gold claims and leaving them dead in his wake. I can't think of a Western that ever got the body/deed count as high as eleven like this picture did, which can only mean that Christopher Lambert was no Red Ryder or Durango Kid. For his trouble, the man should pour himself a brandy to warm up.

"Nobody dies, until I tell them to die!"

[lost-in-limbo · 4/10 · 9 February 2013]

Christopher Lambert has quite a checkered list of elastic films where you either like his work or not. Sometimes they're fun ("Highlander", "The Hunted", "Fortress" and "Gunmen"), others less so ("Love Dream", "Highlander II" and "Fortress II") or they're downright atypical ("I love You", "Subway" and "Southland Tales"). For me the mid-90s chase adventure "The North Star" falls in the middle bracket… not a terrible film by any standards, just lacklustre along with Lambert's performance. It did remind me of the Charles Bronson and Lee Marvin 1980 feature "Death Hunt".

In Alaska in the 1890s a half-breed trapper becomes the target of a crooked businessman who wants the land of his ancestors and the only way to do so is to kill the half-breed.

The plot's foundation harbours familiar trappings, but never really comes alive with no real momentum or character interest. The action is uninspired, dialogues forced and the direction rather stagy in a cheap- looking production. It's the villainous performances of an unhinged James Caan and a burly Burt Young that keeps it from freezing over. Add to that the vivid snowy locations that dress up the screen. Catherine McCormick shows up, but gets little to do.

A sleepy, flat-footed chase drama.

What's up with the knife?

[leontrossi · 7/10 · 19 December 2018]

Fairly decent movie trying to show early gold rush days up in Alaska. Decent cast and storyline is intriguing. Although to make the main character half Indian they just put tan makeup on C. Lambert and make him talk slow at times. But it was at least a believable flick. Only weirdness was how often the Knife showed up and was the focal point of scenes. The biggest travesty in this movie is the knife not making it to the movie credits.

Smorgasbord Western

[khatcher-2 · 3/10 · 4 June 2003]

From the erstwhile afamed "spaghetti westerns" by Sergio Leone, filmed here in Almería, Spain, naturally, we pass on to a new variety which might be called "northern" rather than "western".

Totally filmed in Norway, the land of smorgasbord breakfasts, not in Alaska, we have here a typical sort of copy-Hollywood style of those westerns of yore, adopting similar recipes and formulas, but without anything even nearing the result.

Lovely scenery, but most of this film goes to the dogs; by which I mean that the best of this film are the huskies and other dogs making up the sled-teams in this rather contrived effort to emulate what was once an admired cinematographic subject matter.

My personal smorgasbord breakfast was in Stavanger, after having slept on the floor in the breakfast room, as our night-flight from London arrived around four o'clock in the morning. I woke up amidst hotel guests' legs wandering about sampling the relishing feast of what is a genuine Norwegian product: smorgasbord.

This film is not a genuine product of any kind. I am now awaiting impatiently a Chinese "western", an Egyptian version of "Dallas" or even a U.S. version of "Fanny och Alexandr" (sic) not to mention a British version of "Hable con Ella".

Apart from that I have always loved Norway: perhaps because it was my first foreign country (1962), but especially because the people are so kind, friendly, civilized. My mountain trip walking in the Jotenheimen still remain clear in my memory all these years later - and it even snowed on my birthday (August)!

I think I will go and listen to some music by Edvard Grieg ......... as this film is not worth the trouble.

Exciting and well acted

[1shaman · 10/10 · 16 November 2002]

I really liked this film. James Caan was outstanding and intense, plus there was overall great character development throughout - it's not a simple "Western". Although Christopher Lambert's leading role is controversial, it may be due to character baggage from his other better known roles such as in Highlander. This is my first direct exposure to the actor/producer, and from a fresh perspective his performance seemed fully resonant with the tone and flow of the movie. The settings are beautiful, and even though filmed in Norway, it adequately characterizes the Gold Rush as an Alaskan phenomenon.

Good vs. bad

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 3 January 2021]

Movies can be quite easy to digest. You have the good guys and you have the bad guys. Now sometimes the bad guys seem over the top. Though after certain politicians had their hand on the steering wheel you cannot say that anymore with any conviction. And if you think you know who I mean or are even insulted by this, that speaks more about what you think I mean than it does about what I wrote.

But I'm putting way too much weight on this. Because this is as I said fairly simple. Still a decent effort to say the least, with enough shootouts to pleasure you and your needs (of course also too many times Lambert character seems to get away ... quite literally too)

Lame - Poor Pretend Acting - Bottom Of The Barrel Storyline

[fredgfinklemeyer · 4/10 · 6 December 2018]

12/05/2018 I never realized what terrible actors James Caan and Christopher Lambert could be but they outdid themselves in this turdkey - They Sucked!!! Only if you're desperate should you even consider watching this. I'm so glad that it's over. Bon Appetit

Well acted, but a little too old fashion and tame

[Tin Man-5 · 19 March 2001]

Had "North Star" been made in the 1940's or 1950's and had starred John Wayne or Charlton Heston, it would have been hailed as an exciting wilderness adventure, featuring excellent chase sequences and solid characters. However, it was made in 1995, and while the story had a good deal of potential as a great, if mindless, adventure story, it unfortunately is too tame for modern viewers. They will probably be either very bored or just not interested. While the characters are effective and the story is loaded with some great stuff, it simply pales to films of its kind, including "Cliffhanger" and "White Fang."

That said, the cast is excellent, if a little miscast. James Caan is the villian, a man maddened by the isolated confounds of Nome Alaska. Having lived there for many years, I knew many people in his situation, and he does as a good a job as possible showing the effects such desolate surroundings can have on the human spirit. He nails the performance and shows why he's the celebrated actor that he is, and he makes dialogue such as "Nobody dies until I tell them to die!" sound miraculously believable.

Christopher Lambert also brings passion to the role of the half-breed Indian who is trying to protect his land from Caan. While it is obviously a miscast (he's part Eskimo like I'm Clark Gable!), he does a commendable job as a man torn between loyalties, protecting a land from a native people who don't necessarily trust him. I don't think he was the ideal choice for the role, simply because he's obviously French, but the subtly and haunted characteristics that he demonstrates here shows a great deal of flair and concern for making this film work.

Between he and Caan, not to mention an altogether underused Catherine McCormick, they almost manage to lift this tame adventure story above standards. Unfortunately, good perfomances can't save it. Only style and more over-the-top actions scenes would have, and that is where the movie is lacking. Still, it's not a bad film to watch during the dog-days of summer for a little pick-me-up.

**1/2 out of ****

Movie with many flaws yet still watchable ...

[merklekranz · 5/10 · 25 June 2015]

First off, Christopher Lambert just vaulted to near the top of my least favorite actors list. Here as the hero, Lambert is just plain boring. All actors not named Caan or Young turn in performances that can only be described as awful. The story of a land grab has been done over and over in uncountable westerns. The editing is puzzling to say the least, with large moments of time obviously missing on the cutting room floor. Finally, the ending is so scattered, it almost seems like the director was unsure when to yell cut. There are only two reasons to endure the mercifully short 89 minutes of "North Star". James Caan turns in a wonderfully bizarre performance as the heavy, and the snowy landscapes provide a nice backdrop and diversion from the sub par script and acting. - MERK

Could have been better

[olveracn-07489 · 4/10 · 18 April 2019]

Directing was absent. Good story and people but reality was absent. Plausibility was low.

Seen It All Before

[boblipton · 5/10 · 21 January 2023]

During the Alaska Gold Rush, the miners battle each other and the frozen north. With the coming of authority in the form of the Army, unscrupulous James Caan, owner of multiple claims, sees his authority challenged.

It's based on a Heck Allen novel -- best known to film lovers as the writer of many of Tex Avery's best cartoons; he also wrote many a western -- and has the usual Gold Rush stories that have been a standard for the movies since early silent days. Because of the nationality of the production, the location shots are in Norway, and the sequence in which a man scales an ice-covered cliff with just a knife is striking. Otherwise, alas, it has little to say that has not already been said many times. With Burt Young, Christopher Lambert, and Catherine McCormick.

Meh

[vincebe · 4/10 · 22 December 2018]

The scenery was spectacular. The acting was mediocre. James Caan did a good job if he was trying to portray a psycho. Christopher Lambert was far too soft looking for this part. Could have used a much more rugged looking character to portray the part. I did find the Indian woman with the scars on her face to be beautiful and fascinating looking. Burt Young and the other bad guys in the film were more buffoonish than intimidating.

Not bad, but we've been here before

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 18 January 2013]

NORTH STAR is a virtual reprise of the 1981 Charles Bronson vehicle DEATH HUNT, which saw a posse headed by Lee Marvin searching the icy wastes for a fleeing trapper played by the DEATH WISH actor. NORTH STAR sets its story in Alaska and features James Caan as the hunter and Christopher Lambert as his quarry.

Despite a decent pacing and some good set-dressing - you never question the setting for a moment - this film has little to recommend it. Lambert fans (are there any?) will be let down by their star's performance, which is wooden even by Lambert standards; little he says or does rings true, and he's almost entirely lacking in star presence. There's a hollowness in the middle of the film which a proper actor should be filling with charisma, wit and heroism.

James Caan is much better as the arrogant villain, a role he also played to the hilt in ERASER. He chews the scenery and shares a decent rapport with Burt Young, playing a fellow bad guy for a change and doing well with it. Catherine McCormack is once again wasted as a love interest, though, leaving 28 WEEKS LATER the only film I've seen that actually makes use of her acting talents.

The pace is good and the outdoor wilderness scenes look fantastic, really bringing the chilly wasteland to life. Scenes of the participants sledging through snowdrifts on their husky-drawn sleighs are a lot of fun. It's just a shame that there's no real meat on the bones, and that the ending is lacklustre to say the least. NORTH STAR fizzles instead of bangs, and that's why this wintry western has been long since forgotten.

For a B movie Western this wasn't half bad

[PatrynXX · 8/10 · 19 July 2020]

Got it from Big Lots 7 yrs ago figured it'd be very bad with Chris in it. Oh but everyone elses acting brought up the shows standing.. There was one bit in the cabin in the script that was annoying spends his time convincing her to help and then asks why is she helping him (well obviously you convinced her lol) the runtime wanted to make itself appear like the shorter than 90 minute old time westerns and maybe thats why they partially rushed the ending although didn't think it was that rushed..

Quality: 6/10 Entertainment: 10/10 Re-playable: 9/10 so good I'm looking for the blu ray which I guess is out there

Could have been much better

[kmosier-2 · 12 June 2007]

I spotted plot elements from at least three other movies in this film- 1)the ruthless landowner/businessman abusing the honest foreigners (Heaven's Gate) 2)the kidnapping of the said baddie's girlfriend (Valdez is Coming) 3)the pursuit of the noble hero through the Alaskan wilds (Death Hunt) James Caan played the heel well and Burt Young stole the show as his henchman. Christopher Lambert, however, looked like he was sleepwalking through his role, which ruined the pacing for me. He could have livened up the movie had he shown some interest in getting revenge on those who wronged him.I don't think Nordic Westerns are going to catch on.

Kind of blah

[Wizard-8 · 2 August 2010]

Despite being made by one of Hollywood's most prominent film companies (Regency), and starring James Caan and Christopher Lambert, the distributor (Warner Brothers) doesn't seem to have done much (if anything) in the way of a theatrical release, at least on this side of the ocean. Seeing the movie for myself, I think I can understand why. It's not a TERRIBLE movie - the scenery looks nice at times, and the movie is never boring - but it comes across as flat. Lambert is his usual vanilla self, and Caan at times doesn't seem to be taking this acting assignment with much seriousness. There appear to have been cuts made to the story, either in the screenplay stage or in the editing room, which leads some parts of the movie to be somewhat incoherent or without proper explanation. One explanation for this may be that this movie was a co-production between FOUR countries - maybe details got lost in the constant translation between the parties. The movie obviously had a limited budget, which explains why the movie lacks visual depth and scope at times, often resembling a made-for-TV movie. And in the last part of the movie, Caan's character starts doing some ludicrous things that no man with sense would do in his situation. You are not missing much if you skip by this movie at your video store.

Pretty good if you like this sort of thing

[vchimpanzee · 18 January 2004]

In Nome, Alaska, in the 1890s, the mining claim of Hudson Saanteek, deceased, is being auctioned off, only he's not really dead. Hudson is a 'half-breed' who wants to preserve land that belongs to the Indians who raised him. Meanwhile, Swedish immigrant Bjorn Svenson wants to claim the land where he has been mining for months, but immigrants are not allowed to have claims. He has to appeal to Sean McLennon, who seems to make the rules in this town and has plenty of money but could always use more. McLennon won't listen, because he despises immigrants as well as half-breeds, and anyone who stands in his way. Later, one of these two problems is dealt with by a kidnapping, and so begins a wintry wilderness adventure.

If you like scenes of sled dogs racing through the snow, this movie may be for you (though this wouldn't have been my first choice; it just happened to be on TV). There's lots of excitement once the adventure gets going, and some strange plot twists. James Caan made a deliciously evil and almost comical villain, at least at first. Later, he was just plain mean. The Indians talked mostly in a native language, which added to the realism, and I think most of them gave good performances. One Indian woman never said a word, and yet she could show emotion just with her face, even with very little movement. And one dog, who was listed in the credits as a wolf, even seemed to have a personality. Reidar Sorenson was also quite good as Bjorn, with a style that made me wonder if he has done Shakespeare.

Still, this is not that special, and maybe there have been movies like this which were done better.

Quite good

[quatermassandersen · 19 February 2000]

Tashunga was a quite good movie that was helped from a good cast including Christopher Lambert. Lambert as always gave an effort like no one else and he was very good, Morten Faldaas was another who gave a fine performance.

The film had suspense and great music.