While it is true not all film directors can envision and extract the best from the actors in their films, this Karl Urban performance was different from what we have seen him capable of as Vaako in The Chronicles of Riddick and as Eomer in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Karl as the Viking boy raised by an American Indian tribe gave a primitive and exciting performance but his portrayal of an Indian brave did lack some of the close up intensity we know he can deliver. In this story, the Vikings and American Indians were struggling for survival, so perhaps more action and less character development was called for. If battle minded Vikings landed on those shores, they would have taken the Indians by surprise, and then swarmed on foot, killing at will. If we were watching a film about Crazy Horse fighting George Custer at Little Big Horn, we wouldn't want character development to slow the pace of the battle; rich character development was not this film's goal. Having said that, we watch Karl Urban as he learns to conquer his fears and we see Pathfinder's daughter learn to trust Karl's character, the ghost. We have rich character development in film when those characters have more leisure time, not when they are fighting for the survival of their loved ones and their tribe!
Review of Pathfinder
