The barriers a film has to hurdle these days just to get made let alone distributed in theatres or on DVD are high, far higher than they used to be. As a result, we have kind of lost touch, I think, with low budget releases and as a result we tend to assume all movies should stand comparison with the big budget epics that come along.
This is a low budget movie that has to fill in the CGI gaps with either dark shadows or off-screen action. So, set your expectations accordingly and give the movie a chance. What you will then watch is a rather slow fantasy flic but with some real imaginative flair on display; with a bigger budget behind him this director might well end up being someone to watch.
Director and co-writer Jordan Downey's film sticks a couple of fingers up at those who complain about low-budget productions. Big Christopher Rygh plays the unnamed father, Viking warrior for a distant power and head-hunter of the title. Off he goes when summoned, to fight the most fearsome, monstrous foes - and we never see them. The story makes a virtue of sending him off on his way, and then seeing him return bloodied and battered, with only a dismembered head as evidence there was any monster at all (all the work of Downey, for whom this was clearly a labour of love).
Everything else about this production is visually superb. The locations, cinematography and sense of isolation. Only the warrior's daughter shares the spotlight with him, and she clearly has her own story to tell. The air is thick with Gaelic atmosphere, the dialogue is virtually non-existent - 'Head Hunter' is a film that, for 72 minutes, the viewer is encouraged to live inside, if you'll allow it.