In the early 1500s, King Christian II of Denmark and Norway added Sweden to his “union” through brutal battles. In 1520, Christian was crowned King of Sweden by Swedish archbishop Gustav Trolle, who was pro-Danish and helped by an army of German and Scottish mercenaries. After the coronation, Trolle demanded compensation from those who opposed him, and King Christian complied by executing around 80 prominent citizens of the state and Church who were charged with heresy. This event became known as the Stockholm Bloodbath.

Five hundred years later, Sweden’s Viaplay and Denmark’s Nordisk partnered for a cinematic excursion titled Stockholm Bloodbath, now on general release in Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Denmark. The script, written in English, is by Norwegian screenwriters Erlend Loe and Nora Landsrød, likely to aim at international markets. The cast features an array of A-list Scandinavians and able Brits. Mikael Håfström, director of Evil, sits in the director’s chair. The film has nods to Guy Ritchie, Game of Thrones, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Tarantino, and Lars von Trier’s The Kingdom.

Claes Bang portrays King Christian with grandiosity, delivering lines like “Fucking…Swedish…Peasants!” that rival von Trier’s furious doctor. Other actors like Jakob Oftebro, Mikkel Boe Følsgaard, and Ulrich Thomsen also deliver high-octane performances. Emily Beecham portrays Kristina Gyllenstierna, the widow of Swedish regent Sten Sture, with dignity. Alba August and Sophie Cookson play fictitious characters, the Swedish sisters Anna and Freja Eriksson, who survive a family massacre and set out for revenge using badass Kill Bill-like tactics.

The film has a frantic dance routine at the coronation ball and a Stockholm syndrome joke. The execution scenes are gory and graphic, reminding one of Monty Python’s sketch “Buckets of Blood Pouring out of People’s Heads.” Despite the massive budget, the producers have neglected an exciting piece of Swedish history. The script looks like it was copied from a cheesy fantasy script and makes the actors look like amateurish slackers.