Max Manus

I just watched this film. I had no idea really what the film was about, I had never heard of Max Manus.

I had high hopes after reading the reviews here, but maybe having high hopes made this movie fail a little for me.

It was good, but I feel a little confused about many things. I will not go into the details here, but I just feel the film should have been longer. Everything just happens without much explanation (I think it is made in such a way assuming that the viewers already know the facts, but alas, outside of Norway nobody knows anything about the Norwegian resistance) so many times I was left wondering.

I would have liked to have learned about Great Britain (especially Scotland) and how the relationship between them and Norwegian resistance was formed and how they travelled between the countries. I know at one point fishing boats from Scotland were rescuing people from Norway, but I have never seen this depicted in a film.

But over all, this was a good film, very beautiful cinematography and very well acted. It was nice to hear Norwegian too, I don't understand it, but it added to the authenticity of it and really made you feel a connection with the gang.

The film evolves around Max Manus as one of the central heroes of the young Norwegian resistance during the World War II. Together with Gunnar Kjakan Sønsteby, Gregers Gram and the other brave youngsters not willing to see the free Norway become a part of the German Nazi empire The Third Reich.

After the fun flick "Bandidas" no one expected Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg to be able to do such a correct and true told story of one the Norwegian resistance heroes. But they have managed to make a great film, without messing up in any way.

We get the feeling that the heroism was not just a one-sided thing. For every action the resistance made, more civilians had to die. Max Manus, brilliantly played by Aksel Hennie, was an adventurer, and very lucky to be one of the survivors, more than once thanks to the cold-minded Gunnar Kjakan Sønsteby, warning him about the reality of it all.

The film also shows the psychological effects on the adventurer, who got to be a heavy drinker during the war, and after. Being a hero is just a part of the whole story.

A strong part of this film is the human relations. The boyish ways and friendships. The love-story is beautifully made. One can really relate to the persons. That's good acting as well! Some find Fehmers girlfriend as unnecessary. I don't agree. This is to show that the Nazis had both charm and feelings too. This gives balance as well.

Some have been criticizing the Norwegian resistance for being young silly adventurers. Some of this might be a little bit true, but what they did, and what the sacrificed, is impressive. Most of us would not even think of trying, or dare, to do anything as to stop an invasion of a big and threatening force. Thank God for the likes of Max Manus. He never stopped believing that the Germans could be beaten, even though he was far down after losing his friends one by one in the battle for freedom.

A solid mark is given for true storytelling of brave young spirits, making Norway what the country is today.

This film is one that I have waited for a long time awaiting it's theatrical release.

When that came I were not disappointed,alltough they did leave out a LOT of really exiting stuff. f.ex: his eventful trip around the globe via neutral Sweden and pre war(Barbarossa) Russia then to Turkey where they were almost ensnared by two beautiful female German agents.Then to North Africa(Egypt) were they almost joined the British 8th army,but didn't because they would be seen as deserters by the Norwegian army then.

They also shot down a french plane that were attacking them in the Mediterranean,then via cape town ultimately to New york and then via convoy to England,I think a sequel is in order to cover this journey. That being said ,this is by far the best Norwegian or foreign for that matter film I have ever seen,the effects is beautiful and blends in perfectly,the story have been comprised a bit to fit in a movie script and I understand that perfectly as I went to film school myself. Production value is top notch in this and you can really see every dollar(or kroner) is put on that screen. Hennies portrayal is spot on,so are the other performances. I would warmly recommend this film to everyone especially those who are interested in WW2 history.

PS: I read a review on here that said Manus never fought in the Finnish campaign,while it is true that most of the Norwegian volunteers never got to the front (all from alcoholism to bad nerves,a total of 128 Norwegian troops reached the Salla front and were put into the Swedish "friviligakåren" (volunteer corps). Please do your research properly if you are going to make statements like that.

Although being a Norwagian WWII film, Max Manus has that international appeal because it's about something the whole world experienced.

Following Max and his saboteur friends is a real pleasure and a very realistic depiction of the occupation of Norway. It's the first time i have seen a Norwagian film of this "epic" quality and i hope we get more in the future.

If you have seen a lot of WWII movies don't think this will be just another one. This one gives you a take on the more hidden parts of the war and follows a small resistance group trying to save their small country from one of the biggest empires the world has seen.

So in conclusion i would recommend anyone interested in good foreign films or just good historical films in general.

Awesome film based on a true story about a small but significant resistance group in Oslo Norway during WW2. and the most prolific member is Max Manus with his daring operations and back breaking escapes from the Nazi's. in terms of Norwegian films in general ,this film differs from the rest because of it's massive budget and interesting source material. the thing that really surprised me was the detail and skill of the cgi effects from making Oslo look like it did 60 years ago to various explosions and action sequences. foremost this film is for people familiar with the story's of Max Manus and his daring exploits. Aksel Hennie did a great job portraying Manus. i didn't like Hennie before but i do now. A must see for any Norwegian or war enthusiast.