This low rent Guy Ritchie rip off is held together by three solid performances that prop up the Blue Peter production polish. Surprisingly written by two people this mead fuelled meditation on human trafficking amongst randy monks, improves after thirty minutes once it finds purpose. Before that director Jack Burton employs minimal dialogue, mood lighting and smouldering looks between our undercover Amazonians while people destroy bad dialogue. However after a ropey half hour and against all odds some good performances begin to emerge. Both Adam McNab and Jaime O’Hara billed as translator and thief respectively do something miraculous. Amongst this rabble of confused characterisation, extra ham hold the mayo acting and RSC by way of ‘Hi-de-Hi’ holiday camp theatrics, comes pathos and tangible emotion. There are only snatches of this amongst the ‘Onedin Line’ set dressing, monastic thrift sale emoting and litres of claret but it’s evident. Around the fifty minute mark moments of threat engage, acting becoming enthralling and Viking Siege is forgiven some misdemeanours.
