Christopher Lambert Movie:

Editorial Review:
Nome, Alaska, in 1889 teems with new riches, but not for Hudson Santeek (Christopher Lambert of Highlander and Mortal Kombat). Hes run up against an unwritten Golden Rule: mining boss Sean McLennon (The Godfathers James Caan) has the gold and he makes the rules. In this wilderness action saga directed by Nils Gaup (Pathfinder), McLennon falsely claims the rich lode Hudson vows to protect because its on sacred Inuit land. Hudson has McLennons mistress (Catherine McCormack of Braveheart) taken hostage after McLennon and his murderous gang strike at him. Mushing through storms, clambering up glassy cliffs, hacking to the surface from beneath an ice-capped lake, Hudson scrambles to stay alive and lethal. McLennon may have firepower. But in North Star territory, its Hudsons fighting savvy thats good as gold.

North Star Reviews:
Lutefisk Western
2007-11-10 - James Caan plays Sean McLennon, a greedy land owner who starts grabbing up gold claims in 1899 Nome, Alaska through murder and intimidation. Christopher Lamber plays Hudson Saanteek, a half-breed indian who is fighting to keep the native people on one of the richest of these claims.

The movie is not spectacular, and it has been noted by others that Lambert's acting skills are notab;y less than those of Keanu Reeves. Caan's bad guy is played annoyingly smirky, and Burt Young does nothing to expand beyond his usual generic tough guy range. That being said, there is some nice photography of the frozen northern wild which is pleasing to the eye. Speaking of which, Catherine McCormack is also pleasant to look at, though ultimately I have to admit that the story is not terribly engaging.

Directed by Norwegian Nils Gaup and filmed in Norway with a largely Norwegian cast, NORTH STAR seems to get a little preachy on the racism side of things, which I don't mind as long as there is a story to back it up. Unfortunately, this movie falls considerably short.

Jeremy W. Forstadt

Pleasant little story
2007-06-10 - I'm not a Western genre fan usually, but sometimes my husband coerces me into watching one with him. I was happy I sat down and spent the time on this one. Full of natural scenery and beauty and gritty recreation of 1890's Nome, Alaska it was a great story of the Native Americans honoring the earth, and the infestation of man, and what lengths some men will go to for the almighty dollar. Some parts of the story were sketchy, such as how did McClennen come to love 'Miss Sarah' so deeply and why did he worship her so much? Her character was not as developed as it could have been, but the writers didn't want to morph this into a 4 hr. movie like some guys do. McClennen's character, unfortunately, was not developed as I'd have like to seen, but it was still a good story.

I liked it.

North Star Shines Bright
2005-03-22 - I thoroughly enjoyed this film. At first, I thought it would be another cheapie with an artic theme or one of those Disney concoctions suitable for a teen crowd. Not so,. Production values are first rate. Burt Young never looked so good. James Caan plays the psycho greedy bad man sans black hat, and even Christopher Lambert comes off well as a half indian-half white trying to prevent Caan and company from stealing claims to the gold diggings. (Someone mentioned the voice-overs didn't match the lip syncs; I never noticed there was any lip syncing and I don't think there was.) This film is pure adventure from start to finish and one that's a bargain at the very cheap price it's listed for at Amazon.

Obviously needed cash
2004-04-16 - I am a huge James Caan fan. I mean, I could watch the man do nothing but sit in a chair and stare at a wall and I would love it. However, there is no doubt in my mind he was facing starvation when he made this film. How else can you describe a man with his talents acting in something so despicable? Jimmy, if you're short on cash give me a call. Don't ever stoop this low again. The writing is uninteresting at best, the entire movie seems to have been overdubbed as no one's voice matches his mouth, and Christopher Lambert makes Sophia Coppola's turn on Godfather III look like an Oscar nominated performance. I'm still mad I wasted 90 minutes on this drivel. If you insist on watching this picture do it with the sound off, it's the only way you'll make it through it with your self-respect.

A good Norwegian Western
2000-07-13 - Now here is a film with an interesting pedigree. Based on a novel by American author Will Henry, set in Alaska, but filmed in Norway by a British-French-Norwegian-Italian production. Whew! And with a cast that includes James Caan, Christopher Lambert, Catherine McCormack, and Burt Young, this film is about as multinational as it gets. Not that this is in the least bit unusual. Nils Gaup, best known to most people as the director of THE PATHFINDER, serves up another outdoor adventure set in the Arctic. Though hardly on par with his earlier effort, NORTH STAR is still a decent film on its own. At less than 90 minutes it is a briskly paced and beautifully photgraphed western. Christopher Lambert is either as good or as bad as he ever was, depending on how you feel about him. The idea of him playing a half-white, half-Indian named Hudson Santeek may strike some as ridiculous, but I think he's perfectly acceptable. Opposite Lambert is James Caan as xenophobic town patriarch Sean McLennon, who chews up scenery like there's no tomorrow. The conflict between them over a cave rich in gold but sacred to the people who raised Santeek results in a flurry of chasing, shooting, stabbing, and even a wolf mauling. Given all this, the climax and finale come off as rushed and rather disappointing. I must also admit that I liked John Scott's score in the European version much more than Bruce Rowland's in the American version. But that's a personal bias. The production values and technical aspects of the film are fine, the scripting and acting side less so. A shame considering the cast involved(especially McCormack, who is given too little to do), not to mention co-writer Sergio Donati, whose previous credits include ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST and THE BIG GUNDOWN. For all its flaws, NORTH START is still a good, solid, and enjoyable B-movie.