About a year ago, I was lost in that endless corner of YouTube watching weird movie trailers. Somehow, I came across one for Max Manus: Man of War–a Norwegian foreign film that came out a few years ago.
It immediately caught my interest as the film is based on a true story of a group of Norwegian resistance fighters during WWII. Since the trailer gives a pretty good idea of the plot, I won’t go into any more details. I’d forgotten about wanting to see it until recently, when I came across it again on my list of “movies I want to watch.”
I had some reservations going in that the film might not be able to live up to the expectations the trailer sets. Fortunately, the film surpassed my expectations. If anything, my only hesitation is that the trailer makes the film seem a little more action packed than it actually is (don’t go in expecting a Captain America level of action), but this is made up for in the excellent script and acting that brings this war film drama to a whole new level. And there were still plenty of suspenseful moments and twists that kept me gripping the edge of my seat and guessing what was going to happen until the end of the movie (don’t read the Wikipedia summary before watching the movie!).
What’s more, I appreciated that the film didn’t end with the typical “war is over, feel happy and patriotic” nor make Max a perfect hero. Instead, the film portrays a more realistic picture of the effects and hardships of war and battle. Our hero is a mix of courageous inspiration, boyish stupidity, and depressed soldier. All in all, the film is really less focused on being a “war movie” with fighting and explosions, and more focused on the friendships between Max and the other resistance fighters who just want their country back. There are few scenes of actual combat, and the film details a lot of the time in between their sabotage missions, which allows for greater character development and the feeling that being a resistance fighter wasn’t full of heroic action everyday.
A number of moments in the film had me and my brother in fits of laughter; others, shouting at the screen saying “NO! Ah! they’re crazy!”; and others, tearing up. I’m still thinking about the poignant ending days later. Max Manus: Man of War is a movie I’ll watch again, and because of that, I can only recommend this film that will make you laugh, cry, and want to know more behind the true story.
Sarah the Adventurer 