A superficial overview of The Northman comes down to a few words: hair, blood, and mud. Alexander Skarsgård is our titular hero. As a child, his father (Ethan Hawke) is murdered in front of him by his uncle and he’s forced to flee for his own life. If this is already too Shakespearian for you, go take a bong hit and come on back. It gets better and bloodier, as just like Macbeth, this is about retribution.

Getting past the meat of narrative structure and info the bones & marrow of themes is where the fun (and feuding) begins. The desire to correct a wrongdoing is an intoxicating one. Love & revenge often go hand in hand. That single minded urge to get back what was taken from us can eclipse all other human emotions. Revenge becomes fire that flows like water. It burns bright day or night, snow or sun, weak or strong, immolating anything in its path.

If you come out the other end, you are now a stranger to yourself. The personal price and the collateral damage are the dark variables as predictable as a slot machine of our own design. The passion of the heart becomes the poison of the mind. And just like that, you supplant your entire life to make the circle complete. Madness or death become your next door neighbor. Tell your lawyer to update your last will & testament while you can.