Into the White

Let me start by saying that this is my first attempt at writing a film review and that English is not my native language, so please bear with me.

The first thing that you need to know before watching 'Into the White' is that its not a war film, if you are expecting intense war scenes and action then this film is probably not for you. More specifically, its a drama film that focuses on the subject of friendship and survival. After a dogfight over the Norwegian mountains, three German pilots find themselves stranded in a harsh and inhospitable land during winter, their luck seems to turn when they discover an abandoned hunting cabin. Soon they will meet two British pilots who are pretty much in the same condition as they are in. In order to survive, they understand that they must work together despite their allegiances. What starts as a relationship formed from the forced conditions of the circumstances, develops into a relationship of true and lasting friendship.

Having said a few things about the movie's plot, i would like to say that the cinematography is truly great as well. The harsh and unforgiving nature of the Norwegian mountains is truly captivated well. While the white, snow painted terrain is beautiful its simultaneously terrifying since you will get the impression of fear and impending death, since life is almost completely absent from the scenery. The performance of the actors is very good as well, especially the one coming from the German side.

The actors manage to portray well the uneasiness of being trapped in a cabin in the middle of nowhere along with somebody you cant trust, since that somebody is your enemy. On the downside, i would like it if some particular scenes were more stressful. What i mean is that certain scenes develop kind of slow and don't transmit the feeling of stress and agony to the viewer, since solutions to the problems of the characters come almost immediately without many implications caused upon the characters, which is somewhat unrealistic concerning the circumstances, in my opinion.

To conclude with, 'Into the White' is a film about survival and friendship. Its a drama and not an action film, that immediately makes it a movie that is not for the average masses who are seeking cheap thrills and entertainment, if you are looking for something more, then you will probably enjoy it!

If you enjoyed this film also check:

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Norwegian director Petter Næss has gathered a fine acting crew in this true story about three German and two British war pilots meeting up in a remote hunting cabin during a harsh Norwegian winter storm up in the high mountains, after shooting each other's planes down during the Second World War.

Being forced to work together, with all doubts and mistrust, they after some days started off what was an unlikely friendship while the war was on it's culmination.

The film succeeds in telling a story of fright evolving into friendship, in a chamber like story. All the five main actors are doing a great job with this interesting story.

It's still in the last part of the movie we start really feeling there's a war going on. If the film is to be criticized, it's for not really making us get into the war feeling at the start of the film.

The landscape is beautiful, and the war is 70 years ago. Will everyone understand the situation. In the end, this is really clear, and the film functions here. I'd really like to get more of the war feeling in the start of the film. A shot down airplane and some soldiers doesn't do that in a winterly landscape. The film gets better the further it gets into the material.

That said, the film is really worth watching. Great acting. The German actors are actually the best. Stig Henrik Hoff is also convincing, and David Cross is doing a good role. Rupert Grint has some troubles getting into it in his first feature after seven Harry potters, or maybe it's me seeing that beyond the witchcraft?

In my opinion Petter Næss has nailed another great film. All of his filmography is worth seeing. Wanting to film this story for a long time, he's given us another epic story from the epic Second World War, giving us the hope that this will learn us to never get into another one.

"Into the White" is similar to an old Frank Sinatra film "None But the Brave". Both are set during WWII and both are about a small isolated group of soldiers from both sides MUST work together to survive. In the case of "None But the Brave", it was a fictional story about American and Japanese soldiers. Here with "Into the White", it's about two groups of fliers--one German and the other British. However, instead of taking place in the nice, warm Pacific, this film is set in the frozen wastes of Norway. When both planes are shot down, five airmen all converge on a hut--and there just isn't enough food and fuel to keep them alive unless they can figure out something.

So, is this film worth seeing? For a guy like me who has taught history AND loves WWII airplane films, of course--I am the perfect audience. However, for the rest, it might be a tougher sell. But, if you let yourself watch the film and don't give up on it quickly because there isn't much action, I do think you'll appreciate and enjoy the film. Plus, it's a nice opportunity to see Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley from the Harry Potter films) in a VERY different role. All around, lovely acting, direction as well as a nice respect for real history. Based on what I've read, aside from inexplicably changing the names of the British fliers, it's a highly accurate representation of what really occurred--believe it or not!

I had started the night out planning to watch some iconic war movies that I hadn't seen before, such as Saving Private Ryan or Braveheart (had seen it but its been so long I might as well not have). It was while looking at recommendations for one of these movies that I came across "Into The White." I don't know if it was poor marketing, low budget, or if it simply had no popularity but I had never heard of this movie and was even more astounded when I saw that Rupert Grint starred in it, considering I'm a huge fan of the Harry Potter series and enjoy watching the actors movies.

When I read Grint had a part in it I found my interest piqued and began reading up on the plot line, which instantly sold me. I always love a movie about a group of strangers banding together to survive brutal elements. Add in that the strangers are WWII pilots on opposite sides of the war all stuck together in a small shack and I was immediately hooked. I quickly found the movie and settled down to enjoy the hour and something odd movie. I'll admit it started off slow and I almost turned it off when I found the characters to only speak German for a good 10 minutes or so, with no subtitles, but thanks to some other reviewers I learned that the film would eventually break into English.

I'm extremely happy I persevered to watch this amazing film. Granted it wasn't the greatest thing I've seen in the world nor is it as tense and emotional as you would expect from reading the plot but its still a very solid movie. The environment is truly beautiful and terrifying at the same time. At times you could feel the harsh reality that surrounded the characters and it made me quiver at the thought of it. The cast did an exceptional job bringing their characters life, even Rupert who I thought I could never see outside the role of Ronald Weasely did a fantastic job portraying a somewhat loud mouthed but loyal gunner(a token to his acting ability). As the film moved along I felt myself loving and pushing for the characters more and more and felt elated when they were happy or tense when they were tense basically I was drawn in so well I ended up reflecting their emotions.

I have to say the best performance by far, in my opinion, was by Florian Lukas who played Horst Schopis or basically the German leader in the shack. I felt his character was the center of the group throughout most of the film providing a calm and reasonable head when tense situations arose. Of course his character might of been too nice and kind to be realistic or maybe he was just smart enough to know that their was a time and place for arguing and a time for working together. I also felt the British acted a little too recklessly, arrogant and all together unintelligent at certain points that would make others keep their mouths shut ( those who watch the movie we'll see what I mean). Other then that though I have no complaints whatsoever about this film. The script was good by any standards, the scenery and directing was pretty top notch and the cast was brilliant you could easily feel the sense of bonding they began to share as characters and, I imagine, in the real world.

All in all I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone who doesn't mind sitting down and enjoying a good movie, pure and simple. Not a bunch of action, nothing too emotional or high strung just a feel good movie that promotes friendship, togetherness and coming to respect and care for others. I'd rate "Into the White" a solid 7 out of 10.

The other reviews have highlighted the good and the bad about this movie. It is easy to see what the director was trying to achieve: the concept is a good one, some of the cinematography was excellent, some of the acting was first rate, the story was well told and the human element was explored with humour, subtlety and warmth. These are the reasons it's worth an 8/10.

Without the great storyline and the humour however, this would be a 4/10 movie because: While Strunk and Horst were perfectly cast, without exception, all the other actors, including Harry Potter's sidekick and the Norwegian interrogator at the end, were either average or poor. Davenport was positively awful and nearly ruined the movie...but get through this and some of the clunky bits, and there is enough here to make you laugh, cry and and feel simultaneously queasy! All in all a great story, plenty of humour and humanity but some shabby acting/casting. I'd watch it again though!!