12th Man

A Norwegian survival blast from World War II! The war was cruel, harsh and unpleasant, but it had one positive, at least it produced countless quality films and breathtaking stories and this is one of them. Twelve Norwegian saboteurs are caught by the Gestapo, but luckily one of them manages to escape and that doesn't sit well with the main Nazi played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers, who is famous for never letting anyone escape and will do anything to find them. Hats off to the main character, Jan Balsrud, what he manages to survive is almost unbelievable, and kudos to all the local people who helped him even at the cost of being threatened with death. The film is perfectly shot, superbly paced, suspenseful from start to finish, supported by excellent performances from both the main character and the main villain, who plays the Nazi on a similarly solid level to Christoph Waltz in Inglorious Basterds, and there is no shortage of action and nerve-wracking scenes. For me, The Revenant 2, only instead of a Western, we have World War II. (06/06/2018)

This movie has been done in the spirit of classical Norwegian filmmaking. Epical, grandiose, simply perfectly shot story from WWII period you’d might find hard to believe, because it seems almost absurdly incredibly in places. Well, just like the war itself. Plus, it features beautiful locations, a great fast-paced screenplay and action sequences you won’t wish to forget. (04/20/2020)

The film had a perfectly bleak atmosphere all along, especially thanks to being set in chilly Norway. If you want to watch this film, I recommend doing so during the summer heatwave, the temperature in the room will drop by at least ten degrees. The Commandos' raids and the actions of the Norwegian resistance members didn’t just give the Allies small tactical successes but also a significant strategic advantage. They made Hitler believe that the invasion would take place in Norway, and he firmly believed that even after the Normandy landings, so he did not allow his forces in France to be reinforced by divisions from Norway that remained tied up in the north until the surrender. (06/22/2018)

I cannot understand how the Norwegian resistance fighter Jan Baalsrud could have survived such hardships as described in this movie, especially when everything took place in the harsh natural conditions of freezing Scandinavia. It's just not humanly possible. However, I have to admit that even if the story is exaggerated, the filmmakers managed to make an extremely compelling and dramatic war movie based on it, which stands out for its stunning cinematography and very impressive music. Moreover, it is adorned with brilliant performances by Thomas Gullestad and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. (75%) (01/26/2023)