The Norseman (1978)

Director: Charles B. Pierce

Writer: Charles B. Pierce

Composer: Jaime Mendoza-Nava

Starring: Lee Majors, Cornel Wilde, Mel Ferrar, Jack Elam, Susie Coelho, Christopher Connolly, Jimmy Clem, Deacon Jones, Denny Miller, Fred Biletnikoff, Seamon Glass, Kathleen Freeman

More info: IMDb

Tagline: The saga of the warrior whose courage defied 1,000 years of myth and legend.

Plot: An 11th-century Viking prince sails to America to find his father, who on a previous voyage had been captured by Indians.

My rating: 5/10

Will I watch it again?  Nope.

As soon as you see Lee Majors in his getup, you get a hint that this might not work out so well.

 

As soon as you hear Lee Majors speak with his middle-American accent, you know it's not going to be a pleasant romp.

As soon as you realize that these are the only expressions Lee Majors has throughout the picture, it's going to be a long hour and a half...and it is. 

I'd swear that if I didn't see this in widescreen that this was a low budget TV movie.  The acting, editing, fight choreography (which relies heavily on slow motion) and limited setting (on or near a Florida beach) all point to a limited and probably rushed production.  It's not close to being as epic as it wants to be.  I love Lee Majors but this is such a poor choice for him that it makes me wonder why he even produced it.  Maybe since most kids back then grew up wanting to be astronauts, and he played one on TV, that he might've grown up wanting to be a viking.  This picture either didn't go as planned (honestly, I can't see how this could be better) or it's exactly what Majors & co. wanted.