The Arctic Convoy

If you liked Das Boot, you'll love The Arctic Convoy!

This film was riveting from beginning to end and had me on the edge of my seat.

Casting and performances were first rate, as was the cinematography, and timing.

Based on a true story- 23 out of 35 merchant ships were sunk during Convoy PQ 17!

While he did not take part in any of the WW2 convoys, my father served in the merchant marine in the 1930s sailing through Arctic waters and often told me about the bitter cold and fear of ice.

Combine that with the threat from German planes and U-boats, and the real world voyage must have been very traumatic!

Highly recommended!

Piloting boats and being seaman in WW2 was an extremely dangerous job. This film encapsulates entirely how dangerous this job is. To the most extreme horrors of merchant shipping life.

The only annoyance in the movie is the sheer lack of cargo in the hold. It is not accurate and otherwise the movie is great with loads of authentic props and a great storyline.

Acting is superb. It really creates emotion and tensions and you can feel that you are a member of the crew. The camerawork is great. You can almost feel the vibrating engine and the deck shaking in your room.

It's got a little CGI but it is done properly and well. I don't know the budget of this movie but I guess it is not a gret deal. It is done well and executed well. The Director is definitely one-to-watch!

A strong effort!

...and have watched enough films to know a good one when I see one. All films, even, The Sound of Music, present at least one conflict and in the lesser movies, that single conflict is always resolved and the ending is happy. There is a good element and a bad element and good guys win.

In more complex films, there are often multiple conflicts with multiple layers of good and bad. The resolution to the conflicts isn't always clear and good vs bad is may be difficult to discern. A resolution to the conflicts may not be evident.

Such is the case in The Arctic Convoy. Don't expect clear cut good vs evil and don't expect to know the "right thing to do."

The story is outstanding. The acting is first rate. Cinematography and special effects are at the least adequate and actually quite good considering the cold, gray arctic backdrop they had to work with. Sound is excellent.

I seldom rate a film over 7 and in this case was tempted to offer a 9 but I haven't slept on it yet so I backed off to an 8. I think most viewers will enjoy it.

Das Boot Franchise has greatly interested me in WWII naval warfare. I had to wait almost 8 months to watch the Konvoi. Tobias Santelmann is one of the leading actors in Norway. There are many TV series where you can watch him with different roles such as being a Viking leader, a serial killer, or a murder suspect who belongs to the LGBT community. Hence, Santelmann is really a gifted actor. In this movie, he is AWESOME because he portrays a second captain on a cargo ship that is trying to send supplies to the Soviet Union against Nazi Germany. This movie is a gem and watch it because you learn things about the unknown heroes of WW2.

My father was an engineer on a Norwegian Merchant Marine ship during WWII (although not in the arctic region that I know of). His ships were wrecked three times, yet he managed to survive. He didn't talk too much about what he went through, yet it was evident that he was deeply troubled by what he saw and went through. After the war, he moved to the US. Decades later, the Norwegian government sent him medals for his service. He through them into a drawer, forgotten until after his death. Seeing this movie gave insight into what he may have experienced. It was beautifully filmed, and well acted. Glad I watched it, yet depressing too.