Norwegian Bond

What an emotionally-charged, nail-biting war thriller, full of suspense-packed sequences. The lead character, who gives the film its title, is a true 1940s James Bond –without the array of women to lead him astray.

Based on the true story of Max Manus, the Norwegian resistance fighter, this film largely remains historically accurate, being based on Manus’ own books, ‘Det vil helst ga godt’ and ‘Det blir alvor’ plus other accounts and historical documentation.

The film opens in the spring of 1940 after Manus fights as a volunteer in the Finnish-Russian Winter War.

Upon his return to Norway, Max is met by a Nazi-occupied homeland and hastily joins the resistance movement, but with his reckless attitude, he is soon brought to the attention of the occupying forces, with a famous escape from the second floor window of a hospital.

Manus travels to Scotland where he completes extensive training before returning to Norway in 1943 and together with his friends, he carries out several impressive sabotage attacks against the Germans which alerts Siegfried Fehmer (Ken Duken), a Gestapo investigator, and propels him to hunt down Manus.

Co-directed by Joachim Roenning and Espen Sandberg, Max Manus (played by a superb Aksel Hennie) is a film that is impressively directed. The explosives team did well since this was by no means a top notch special FX movie of its genre. The strong acting and the suspense, with the very real emotional toll Manus felt at the death of various friends was utterly compelling, as he asks the question, ‘Why am I spared?’ Gregers Gram (played by Nicolai Cleve Broch) plays Manus’ good friend and leads the cast of resistance friends who Manus is in ‘charge’ of. Gunnar Sonsteby (Knut Joner), Kolbein Lauring (Christian Rubeck), make up the rest of the film’s key players. Agnes Kittelsen plays Tikken Linderbraekke, who works as a Norwegian contact for the British consulate; a married woman and friend of Gregers who Max falls in love with.

This is a film that’s had a strong Norwegian following and hailed as the most successful Norwegian film in twenty years. King Harald V, 'Tikken' Manus, Gunnar Sønsteby along with other notable individuals attended the film’s première. Critics have received the film in a generally positive light, but some have found the film too traditional, comparing it unfavourably to ‘Flammen og Citronen’ a recent Danish film. The film has also sparked public debate about the role of the Norwegian resistance movement during German occupation.

Most shocking moment: In the hospital where a nurse helps Manus pull-off his escape from the second story window. He kisses her and then promptly punches her (upon her request), to help cover the ‘accomplice’ trail.

Quirky trivia: Following Tallaksen's suicide, the shot of Max and Gunnar sitting in front of a bakery sign, reading "Baker Andersen" is printed with the font "Comic Sans MS". This font was in fact designed a good 50 years later, in 1994. Be sure your fonts will find you out!

By Catherine Pittams, January 2010