Reviewed by Kim Choe
Max Manus is a take on World War II rarely (if ever) seen in our cinemas – the battle over Norway.
It follows the film’s namesake (played by Aksel Hennie), a Norwegian resistance fighter dedicated to sabotaging the German occupation of his country. It’s based on fact – Max Manus was a real wartime hero in Norway.
It begins as any war film might – on the battleground. But the wintry scene is told in fits and starts throughout the film, forming a series of flashbacks that illustrate chillingly the memories that haunt Manus as he continues to put himself and his friends in danger for the sake of his country.
The story is beautifully simple and compelling. Manus is a hot-headed, fiercely patriotic soldier leading a group of rebels in what often feels like an amateur operation compared to the slick Nazi operation. It is this imbalance of power that gives the film its suspense – the ship-bombing scenes had me holding my breath.
The film strikes a deft balance between light and dark, tenderness and violence – the personal toll on Manus contrasting with the infallibility of war. Perhaps the least convincing element was the romantic one – his falls in and out of love with the beautiful Tikken (Agnes Kittelsen) were seemingly unmotivated.
The real story, though, is how Max Manus managed to evade the Germans for so many years. A thoroughly compelling watch.
Four stars.
Max Manus
:: Director: Joachim Rønning, Espen Sandberg
:: Starring: Aksel Hennie, Agnes Kittelsen, Nicolai Cleve Broch
:: Running Time: 113 mins
:: Rating: R13 - violence
:: Release Date: February 18, 2010
:: Language: Norwegian and German, with English subtitles
