A ruthless political struggle between Sweden and Denmark turns bloody under the tyranny of the mad King Christian II. Caught up in this deadly war, two sisters seek revenge on the men who brutally murdered their family.

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Video Quality

Stockholm Bloodbath makes its domestic Blu-Ray debut with two cuts of the film showcasing a great 1080p video presentation that captures the narrative well. The flesh tones are natural with a striking amount of detail present in close-ups, especially in the facial hair and makeup effects. The presentation displays an incredible amount of depth while traversing the lands. The natural environments provide valuable textural details. The image has a somewhat cool quality about it with a muted color palette saturating the screen. The film deploys some complex colors in the shots of nature, firelight, and costumes. Black levels have the slightest hints of banding in some of the shadowy corners, but by and large, they maintain their depth. This Blu-Ray comes through for fans of the feature.

Audio Quality

Brainstorm Media gives this Blu-Ray a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that capably executes all of the sonic demands. Action-packed moments are present quite often with a decent amount of skirmishes waking up the speakers with enviable texture. The multifaceted sound design comes alive with careful finessing of the surround speakers. Environmental sounds are delineated with a respectable precision so that nothing swirls together in a sonic mess. When the characters are sneaking through a castle or a base camp, some distinct ambient details flesh out the setting. Dialogue always renders clearly without being trounced by any competing sounds. The music holds together for exquisite fidelity. The audio track provides an invaluable experience that brings this narrative to life exactly as intended. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the US Theatrical Version.

Special Features

US Theatrical Cut (1:57:40) and Director’s Cut (2:30:24)

Interview with Director Mikael Håfström: A 22-minute interview with director Mikael Håfström in which he discusses the real-life history behind this story, the tone he wanted to strike with the material, why he wanted to make this film in English, casting the ensemble, making a big action scene on a tight budget, and more.

Original Trailer (1:50)

Final Thoughts

Stockholm Bloodbath is a violent historical epic that brings to light a conflict that may not be known as widely by international audiences outside of the region. There is a bit of a punk rock aesthetic that may not please those looking for a deadly serious, historically precise feature, but the journey is a fun one to be sure. With a budget far smaller than many of its ilk, this feels spiritually similar to a well-made streaming movie, but it packs in a lot of creativity to make it stand out. Brainstorm Media has released a Blu-Ray featuring two cuts of the film with a great A/V presentation and a small selection of special features. If you have a soft spot for historical epics, give it a whirl. Recommended

Stockholm Bloodbath is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Brainstorm Media and OCN Distribution have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.