Pathfinder (2007)

A Viking boy is left behind after his clan battles a Native American tribe. Raised within the tribe, he ultimately becomes their savior in a fight against the Norsemen.

Director:

Marcus Nispel

Writers:

Laeta Kalogridis (screenplay), Nils Gaup

Stars:

Karl Urban, Clancy Brown, Moon Bloodgood

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Karl Urban	...	Ghost
Moon Bloodgood	...	Starfire
Russell Means	...	Pathfinder
Clancy Brown	...	Gunnar
Jay Tavare	...	Blackwing
Nathaniel Arcand	...	Wind In Tree
Ralf Moeller	...	Ulfar
Kevin Loring	...	Jester
Wayne Charles Baker	...	Indian Father (as Wayne C. Baker)
Michelle Thrush	...	Indian Mother
Nicole Muñoz	...	Little Sister
Burkely Duffield	...	Ghost - 12 Years Old
Ray G. Thunderchild	...	Elder #1
Duane Howard	...	Elder #2
Brandon Oakes	...	Elder #3

Storyline

A young Viking boy is left behind at a hostile tribe of American Indians, whom eventually accept him into the tribe and raise him. A personal war begins for the young Viking when the Vikings return 15 years later and initiate a barbaric attack on the tribe and the woman he loves.

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Plot Keywords:

viking | native american | native american hunter | sword and shield | remake of norwegian film | 

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Taglines:

Two Worlds, One War. The Ultimate Battle Begins.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong brutal violence throughout

Details

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English Icelandic

Release Date:

13 April 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Pathfinder: The Legend of the Ghost Warrior

Filming Locations:

British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,800,000, 15 April 2007, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$10,232,081, 17 June 2007

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox, Phoenix Pictures, Dune Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min 107 min (unrated DVD)

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Despite knowing that the Vikings' helmets didn't historically have large animal horns on them, the filmmakers decided to add them anyway. Modern audiences are used to thinking of Vikings with horns on their helmets, and it made them look more terrifying (evem if, in truth, they never wore them).

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Goofs

When Ghost is shown as a child in the flashback, his back is severely cut from his whipping, yet, when the film moves ahead to him as a adult, there is no scarring of any type on his back, yet, the amount of trauma his back suffered would have left some degree of obvious scarring.

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Quotes

Starfire: There are two wolves fighting in each man's heart. One is Love, the other is Hate.
Ghost: Which one wins?
Starfire: The one you feed the most.
[they kiss]

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Connections

References Alexander Nevsky (1938)

User Reviews

Not as bad as some have painted it to be

If you went to see the movie expecting something like Mel Gibson's Apocalypto, you will be disappointed obviously. But why would you expect it to be Apocalypto if you've seen the trailer? It tells a mythical tale of a legendary Norseman who was raised by native Americans. They called him ghost. And it's this ghost who ended up protecting the tribes from the destruction of the Viking Clang who shared the same lineage with him. The plot line is just that simple. What kept me entertained was the action sequence, absolutely stunning cinematography and the overall presentation and atmosphere. The overall tune of the movie is dark, mythical and menacing, fit perfectly well for the theme. Vikings are presented more like beast than man, with giant statue and equally ghastly giant armors and weapons.

Some may argue that the vikings in this movie kill senselessly without any purpose. Does having a purpose makes evil more sensible? I have good news for people who are looking for reasons behind evil: they all have purposes and reasons, so don't waste time seeking one for them. Bad news for you: it absolutely makes no difference! Throughout human history, all aggressors had plenty of reasons to invade, ravish and destroy other culture and lives, the list goes from Vikings to Hitler... and it will probably go on forever. But does having reasons and purposes to kill make the killing more sensible? Absolutely not.

In this movie, Vikings are symbolic evil. Giving it a reason to kill doesn't make any differences as I stated above: they all have reasons, pick one and get over with it. On the other hand, the movie was trying to suggest that not only there's this battle of good and evil going on in the physical world, there's also a battle of hate and love in one's heart. When asked: who would won, Ghost was given the answer: the one you feed the most. It's a very interesting theme that I wish the director would explore a little bit deeper. But in the end, violence prevailed the screen time. The thought of inner struggle and loftier redemption was lost in the midst of killing and vengeance. No sin was forgiven and no bad deeds went unpunished. Though it's a more satisfying end, but a shallow one.

Overall, I enjoyed the movie for what it is. I'm not looking for complicated plot nor deeper character development. For an action movie, its visually stunning, fast paced and immersing. It kept me interested throughout the 90 minutes and left me pondering about some unfulfilled premises. It's not as bad as some have painted it to be.