Pathfinder

Pathfinder
Promotional poster
Directed by	Marcus Nispel
Produced by	Marcus Nispel Mike Medavoy Arnold W. Messer
Written by	Laeta Kalogridis
Starring	Karl Urban Moon Bloodgood Clancy Brown Ralf Möller Jay Tavare Russell Means
Music by	Jonathan Elias
Cinematography	Daniel Pearl
Editing by	Jay Friedkin Glen Scantlebury
Studio	Phoenix Pictures
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date(s)	April 13, 2007 (2007-04-13)
Running time	99 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English Icelandic
Budget	$45 million[1][2]
Box office	$30,822,861

Pathfinder (also known by the alternate title Pathfinder: The Legend of the Ghost Warrior^[3]) is a 2007 American epic action film directed by Marcus Nispel, distributed by 20th Century Fox, and stars Karl Urban, Clancy Brown, Ralf Möller, Moon Bloodgood, Russell Means, Jay Tavare, and Nathaniel Arcand. It is a loose remake of an Oscar-nominated 1987 Norwegian movie of the same name^[4] although the geographic setting and peoples involved are very different.

Pathfinder takes place in "Vinland" (the Eastern Seaboard of Pre-Columbian North America) and the story involves a fictional conflict between the Native Americans and Viking marauders from across the Atlantic Ocean, who have come to the Americas in search of colonization. The time period it is set in is around two centuries before the first known Continental European contact with the New World, which academics generally agree occurred with Leif Ericson around 1000 AD.

Pathfinder received a widely negative critical reception upon release and was not successful at the box office, although the film did enjoy much better home video sales whereby the studio recouped its costs and the film gained a small cult following. It was also adapted into a graphic novel by Dark Horse Comics.^[5][6]

Plot

During the Dark Ages, a raiding party of Vikings led by an unnamed "great Viking warrior" arrived in the Americas with the intention of plunder and colonizing the "cursed" land. In so doing they planned on slaughtering a local Native American tribe, the "Thule" or "Skræling" as the Vikings call them are considered inferior, primitive and true savages and they wish to "cleanse" the land before they settle there. Whilst slaughtering a native village, the Viking leader asks his son, only a twelve year-old boy, to join in on the carnage, and the boy refuses, and in return the boy is beaten and whipped. After their longboat is shipwrecked the Vikings are caught unaware and attacked by another native tribe, the Wampanoag, who call themselves the "People of The Dawn", and are massacred themselves. The sole survivor is the traumatized blonde-haired boy who was the son of the Viking leader, and who is discovered in the wreckage amongst slain Viking slaves and taken in by a native woman who adopts him as her own son after seeing a white horse by the wreck - there is a prophecy that a "creature swift of foot and white as snow" would bring about a time of great change. The boy is named "Ghost" by the People of The Dawn, many of whom struggle to accept him because of his similarity to the paleness of the other "Dragon People"; "demons who have never seen the sun".

Fifteen years later Ghost (Karl Urban) still lives among them yet remains tormented by his dreams, which along with his different appearance to the other tribesmen, interfere with his ability to fully assimilate into the native community. Ghost is frustrated that the others do not trust him, many considering him an outsider, and despairs that he will never be considered a Brave of The People. Also Ghost has feelings for a young woman from an allied tribe named Starfire (Moon Bloodgood), the daughter of Pathfinder (Russell Means), an elderly chieftain searching for a worthy successor after the next intended Pathfinder has been killed in an avalanche. Ghost is the only person capable of using a sword as he is still in possession of his father's Viking sword and still trains with it; the native tribe have not yet developed metalworking.

Whilst hunting and gathering with the group, Ghost's adopted sister wanders off and encounters a scouting party for a new group of Viking raiders, and is attacked. She escapes back to the village but the Vikings follow her back there. They raze the village and murder nearly everyone with delight, except a few tribesmen whom they want to combat individually in "duels". Ghost arrives back at the village too late to save the villagers and sees his adoptive father murdered by Gunnar (Clancy Brown), the Viking leader. The Vikings are bemused as to Ghost's Viking-like appearance, yet decide that he may be less of a "primitive" who can handle a sword and more of a challenge because of this, and so make Ghost duel nonetheless. Ghost's opponent, Ulfar (Ralf Möller), is taken unaware by Ghost's ability to use a sword, as swords are unknown to the natives, and Ghost maims Ulfar by cutting out his eye, and escapes. Injured by an arrow during the pursuit and escaping by riding his shield down a snowy mountainside, Ghost hides in a cave where he is found by the allied tribe's hunting party. They bring him home, and the warriors discuss taking the initiative against the Viking invaders. Ghost, however, informs them of the savagery and ferocity of the "Dragon People", who are said to be demons incarnate. Ghost warns them that their wood and stone weapons are no match for the metal armour and blades of the Vikings. Ghost advises the villagers that their only chance of survival is to flee, and he departs to take on the Vikings alone.

He finds that he has been covertly followed by a mute admirer. In an abandoned village, they set a series of traps. Starfire, meanwhile, has chosen to leave the tribe and finds Ghost and his colleague. The three kill the Vikings off individually, stealing armor and weapons. Pathfinder, like his daughter, also finds Ghost and joins the fight. The hunting party of the tribesmen accidentally set off one of Ghost's traps themselves, and are massacred by the Vikings. Eventually, both the mute and Pathfinder are executed in brutal fashion, and Ghost and Starfire are captured. Gunnar recognizes Ghost as the son of a Viking, and tells Ghost that he knew of his father and admired him as a great warrior. The Vikings threaten to torture Starfire if Ghost will not betray the location of other villages, so Ghost agrees to help the Vikings.

Having gained the Vikings' trust, Ghost leads them along a dangerous mountainside pass through the Appalachian Mountains and convinces Gunnar that the Vikings be tied together to reduce the risk of members falling off the narrow ledge on the high cliff. Using a sling, Ghost then creates a domino effect so the entire string of Vikings falls over the cliff, all tied together: only Gunnar cuts himself free in time, coldly killing his lieutenant Ulfar in the process. After a duel on the precipice with Gunnar, Ghost deals him a fatal blow, leaving him hanging over the cliff edge, held only by the necklace Gunnar took from Pathfinder. Gunnar begs for death by the sword, as to Gunnar death by the sword is the only honorable way for a Viking to die (perhaps to gain entry to Valhalla in accordance with Viking beliefs), and pleads for such a mercy to Ghost by saying he is the last of his kind in the land. Ghost replies "You are not my kind", and instead of granting him an honorable sendoff by the sword, Ghost breaks the necklace, sending Gunnar plummeting to an ignominious demise.

Ghost returns to Starfire with Pathfinder's necklace, thus making Starfire the new Pathfinder after her father. Starfire gives birth to a blonde-haired son. Ghost assumes his position as the Coast Watcher, bravest of their tribe, charged with watching over the coast in case the Vikings ever return.

Cast

• Karl Urban - Ghost, the protagonist of the story and the son of a Viking raider, who was stranded in the Americas as a child. Raised by the Native American tribesmen, whom he sees as his adopted family, he is torn between two worlds. He is a great warrior and swordsman, and finds himself falling in love with Starfire.
• Moon Bloodgood - Starfire, the Pathfinder's beautiful and headstrong daughter.
• Clancy Brown - Gunnar, the antagonist of the film and a cruel and barbaric leader of a second party of Viking marauders. He wishes to "cleanse" the land of the Native Americans who he sees as "not even human", so that he and the rest of his people can settle there. Gunnar engages in a psychological as well as physical struggle with Ghost.
• Ralf Möller - Ulfar, lieutenant of the Viking marauders and Gunnar's right-hand-man. Loses an eye in a battle with Ghost.
• Russell Means - Pathfinder, an elderly and wise Native American tribal chieftain who is searching for a worthy successor. "Pathfinder" is more than a name, it is a title, which is akin to something of a protective/guiding role to the tribe.
• Nathaniel Arcand - Wind In Tree, Pathfinder's son who believes in the prophecy that Ghost will deliver his people; he nonetheless follows his father's orders without question and so does not fight, instead attempting to lead his people to the safety of the next village.
• Jay Tavare - Blackwing, a warrior and Brave of Pathfinder's tribe who is also in love with Starfire and something of a rival to her other suitor, Ghost. Blackwing also mistrusts Ghost due to his Viking ancestry.
• Kevin Loring - Jester, a clumsy mute who is seen as something of a joke amongst the other tribesmen. He idolizes Ghost and is the first tribesmen to join Ghost in his solitary quest to kill the Vikings, proving his worth.

Production

The production companies of Pathfinder were 20th Century Fox and Phoenix Pictures,^[7] and the film was shot around Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.^[8] The Pathfinder's stilt hut was constructed around a real tree which was found at the location and had to be reinforced. The design of the Native American huts was partly inspired by the opera house in Sydney, Australia.^[9]

Actors wore hockey shoulder pads underneath their Viking costume to make them appear larger, fiercer and more intimidating. Also, despite knowing that the Vikings' helmets didn't historically have large animal horns on them, the film makers decided to add them in anyway. This was deliberate to work with the modern audiences who have an ingrained stereotype of what a Viking should look like in their mind.^[10] Rubber helmets were made for stuntmen; however the imposing helmets that Clancy Brown and Ralf Moeller wore were made of real metal, bone and fur.

The Native Americans the Vikings encountered historically were the Beothuk people of Newfoundland in Canada around 1000 A.D., and there was not extensive contact. There is a large historical site around the Viking winter trade settlements in Newfoundland for tourists to visit named L'Anse aux Meadows (perhaps the remains of Leif Ericsson's Leifsbudir settlement) and the only remains of Viking settlement in America. Although there were some skirmishes in which both natives and Norse settlers were killed, as recorded in the Icelandic Sagas, there was no protracted major conflict nor permanent European colony at that time nor would there be for many centuries. In the film these circumstances of first contact were changed for dramatic purposes to a region of what is now the New England region of the United States instead of Newfoundland, many centuries earlier and the natives involved are the Wampanoag instead of the Beothuk. More realistic however is the fact that in the film the Vikings speak Old Icelandic, a language directly related to Old Norse, which would have been the common language of the Norsemen who were colonizing Iceland and Greenland during the Dark Ages, and who were the first European explorers of the Americas.

Graphic novel

The film was also adapted into a graphic novel by Dark Horse Comics.^[5][6] The graphic novel was built around dialogue written by the film screenwriter Laeta Kalogridis and with art by comic book artist Christopher Shy, and which was subsequently published by Dark Horse Comics at the same time as the film.^[5][6] From the beginning the graphic novel had a symbiotic relationship with the film. Film director Marcus Nispel, also a graphic novelist, decided to adapt the screenplay into a comic book format to appeal to his target audience more and help get a fan base to get his movie made. However his movie got the green light before the graphic novel could be completed. Nonetheless, Christopher Shy's somber and brooding visuals in the graphic novel in turn greatly inspired the visual style, look and feel of the overall film, especially in cinematography of the environment, and the design of the villains.^[11] The graphic novel has been very successful with high sales.^[12]

Reception

The film received mainly negative reviews, with an 11% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on over 60 reviews,^[13] and a user score of 3.8 on Metacritic based on 27 votes.^[14] The film has a slightly higher average rating of 5.2 out of 10 on the Internet Movie Database, with a higher average rating of 7.0 from under 18s.^[15]

A common criticism of the film, or at least the heavily edited theatrical version, was that it only had about thirty lines of dialogue and an over-emphasis on violence and gore, although the film's brooding visual style and stylized action sequences were praised by some. A review on the BBC website gave the film two out of five stars, stating "...this Norse saga plays like a 100 minute trailer; there's no character development, no real plot, just a string of high-concept action sequences... ...director Marcus Nispel [a veteran director of music videos] helms it like it's a nu-metal video: swirling dry ice, thundering Dolby sound effects, and oversized Vikings who look like WWF wrestlers. Metalheads will be in Valhalla; everyone else should find a different path."^[16]

There were however positive reviews; one example is Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film 70 out of 100, stating that the film "nicely balances action and adventure with American Indian wisdom and a modest romance to provide a graphic-comic-book movie experience for males in urban markets.^[17] Wesley Morris of The Boston Globe gave the film a rating of 63 out of 100, stating "If there's any justice, someone will keep [Karl Urban] in mind for "300 part two."^[18]

Tom Keogh of Amazon.com wrote an editorial review stating "Marcus Nispel, who previously directed the 2003 remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, guides the brutal if often exhilarating action of Pathfinder as if it were amplified history" and describes the performances of Russell Means and Moon Bloodgood in particular as "outstanding".^[19]

Box office

Pathfinder opened theatrically in the United States on 13 April 2007, in sixth place on its opening weekend and had some big competition at the box office with 300, Blades of Glory, and Disturbia amongst others, and although Pathfinder earned over $5 million in its opening weekend at the box office,^[20] this quickly tailed off. Overall, worldwide the film earned just over $30 million at the box office, failing to recoup its $45 million budget.^[2]

Home video releases

DVD

The DVD of the film was released 31 July 2007. Nearly a million and a half DVDs of the film were sold in the United States alone making an estimated $22,083,551 from the DVD sales.^[21] The DVD features director's commentary, trailers, alternate trailers, and six production featurettes covering design, building, shooting, action choreography and stunts. There is also a featurette devoted to Clancy Brown who portrays the film's main villain, Gunnar; titled Clancy Brown: Cult Hero it covers Clancy Brown's previous villainous roles on films such as The Shawshank Redemption, Starship Troopers, and as The Kurgan in Highlander, as well as others.

Blu-Ray

The Blu-Ray release went on sale on 20 November 2007.^[22]

Unrated version

For the theatrical release and the initial DVD release, director Marcus Nispel had been forced to cut the gore and digitally remove some of the extreme violence out of at least 32 scenes, and also a scene of Ghost and Starfire making love in a cave, so that the film could gain an R rating from the MPAA. Nispel was also forced to trim down 23 scenes (including significant plot development) for reasons of time and pacing. In total around ten minutes were cut out of the film. These cuts were restored however, as well as the gore, for the unrated version, which was released on 27 August 2007.^[23]

Footnotes

See also

• Vinland
• Vinland map
• Norse colonization of the Americas

External links

• Official site
• Official trailer
• Pathfinder Set Visit - Part 1
• Pathfinder Set Visit - Part 2
• Pathfinder at the Internet Movie Database
• Pathfinder at AllRovi
• Pathfinder at Rotten Tomatoes