Krigsseileren

How is it that the recognised luminaries in Hollywood can't do delivery like this anymore ? War and its brutality in full technicolour. Very reminiscent of Das Boot ( and feel deliberately so ), warts and all. I think the main thrust of the production is to highlight the lack of recognition most of these merchant seamen went through to keep the allies ahead of the fascists. More so, the country itself, whilst under occupation. The scene with young Aksel is particularly poignant and makes its point very succinctly. At times the pace is slow, but don't let that put you off, as overall it's particularly well done.

The story is amazing, the cinematography is great, and the deapth of each look really leaves a mark.

The lead actors are really good, and probably norway's best ones. But the thing about norwegian movies is that the dialog seams sooo forced. I don't know if it is just me that is too stricht, but both Kristoffer Joner and Pål Sverre Hagen are such good actors when it comes to body language, facial expression and overrall feeling, that I expect the dialogs to be better. The way the manuscript is written probably shoud take a lot of the blame, and is, in my opinion, what stops a lot of norwegian produced films from being great. On the other hand, all the acting in other forms then spreach leaves me speachless! The looks, the feelings, the body language, the details, the entire mood of the movie is worth admiring.

The love and care that is shown between these caracters breaks my heart, it is delivered in such a delicate, vulnerable way.

Overall I enjoyed the movie, it enlightens a part of history that I really have not given much thought.

One of the best war movies I've seen. I thought I'd seen so many war and catastrophe movies I'd become numb to the emotional drama and could only be stimulated by history lessons and battlefield action but this one gripped me. The storytelling and cinematography was oddly neutral and engaging at the same time, avoiding over the top melodrama and anticlimatically predictable climaxes, sticking to the point over a nonlinear plotline for three hours. The lack of cliche and subtelty made the movie seem lifelike and relevant unlike so many other historical dramas. For instance the way you learned of the sinking of the first crew or the reaction to being dropped in shallow water from the oily survivor. The life and the sadness in every scene made this movie worth watching.

This is another well-crafted war movie from Norway. Earlier, viewers were treated to a similar war movie, "Navik," also another well-made Norwegian production and shot in northern Norway.

What's impressive about War Sailor, which can be said about Narvik, too, is that it's a thoughtful movie without the obligatory hysteria that usually punctuates the genre.

The horrors of war don't distract the viewer from the compelling story that unfolds.

The major storyline may not be unique. There are war stories that highlight close friends in the battlefield who protect each other to the best of their abilities. A recent example is Devotion. Another is Band of Brothers.

This time around, the close friends are aboard merchant ships conscripted by the Norwegian government to the Allied war effort during the early part of World War II. This brings them to Malta and Liverpool en route to New York thence to Murmansk, Russia.

But aside from the gore of war that the limited series portrays, it also succeeds in driving home the raw emotions that loved ones torn apart by circumstance confront because of the reality of war wherever they are: in the high seas or in Bergen.

In the end, it's their love for each other, which can only be described as agape, that allows Freddy and Sigbjorn to survive the war and its aftermath.

There's this scene towards the end, when both men are in their seventies, in which Sigbjorn visits Freddie's family in Bergen on the occasion of the birthday of the latter's youngest son after so many years of absence. That scene is so gut-wrenching in unexpected ways.

The movie doesn't hesitate to inform the viewer, as an aside, of the losses inflicted on Norway for the sake of the Allied cause in terms of its citizens who died aboard its merchant ships as well as the number of such ships destroyed or sunk during the war.

This is a triumph of Norwegian cinema. Don't miss it.

A superb war movie!

What a pleasant surprise this film turned out to be. The cinematography, editing, effects and music are all top notch and help tell a story about some great characters. I feared it would be a Michael Bay-ish, bombastic, humorless action fest. It's not.

This is a somber film about the horrors of war, both for the men and their families back home. Joner and Hagen both give superb performances, but the strong supporting actors are the real surprise.

I spoke to a war historian after the screening, who also loved the film, and his biggest complaint was the lack of hair cuts and one piece of clothing in one scene. I'd say that is pretty good.

This is a human story, so the language barrier shouldn't be a problem. I urge you to check it out if you're interested in war history or human dramas in general. Also, the fact that they made this on what is a shoestring budget in Hollywood, is impressive!

No wonder this is Norway's candidate for best Foreign Language Film at next year's Academy Awards. It's a tough one to beat. Two thumbs way up!