Max Manus: Man of War (2008)

Max Manus: Man of War is the English title of a Norwegian historical and biographical drama (based on a true story) which premiered in 2008.

Max Manus was a member of the Norwegian resistance movement who fought against the German occupation of Norway during World War Two (1940-1945).

Here is some basic information about this drama:

** Directors: Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg
** Writer: Thomas Nordseth-Tiller (1980-2009) 

** Based on two books by Max Manus and other historical evidence

** Language: mostly Norwegian; a few scenes with German or English

** Run time: 118 minutes

The cast includes the following:

** Aksel Hennie as Max Manus (1914-1996) – Norwegian resistance

** Agnes Kittelsen as Ida Nikoline “Tikken” Lindebraekke (1914-2010) – Norwegian resistance – married to Max Manus 1957-1996

** Nikolai Cleve as Gregers Gram (1917-1941) – Norwegian resistance

** Peter Naess as Martin Linge (1894-1941) – Norwegian resistance

** Christian Rubeck as Kolbein Lauring (1914-1987) – Norwegian resistance

** Knut Joner as Gunnar Sønsteby (1918-2012) – Norwegian resistance

** Ken Duken as Siegfried Fehmer (1911-1948) – a German Gestapo officer in Norway

** Stig Hoffmeyer as King Haakon VII (1872-1957) – king of Norway 1905-1957 (in exile in the UK 1940-1945)

Since this drama is based on a true story, the basic facts are part of the historical record. They are not a secret. Therefore I could mention many of them here, but I am not going to do that. I do not wish to spoil the viewing for anyone.

While this drama is based on a true story, it is not a documentary film. It is a dramatized version of events. Not everything happened exactly as shown here. But the basic story is true.

This drama is about the German occupation of Norway from 1940 to 1945, but the story begins in 1939 during the Winter War in Finland. Why? Because Max Manus volunteered to join the Finnish army in order to fight the Soviet attack on Finland.

Throughout the drama, there are brief flashbacks where we see Max Manus in the Winter War in Finland. Why? To show us that this experience made a big impression on him.

Later in the drama, when Max Manus compares the two conflicts with each other, he says that in Finland it was easy to know who the enemy was and where the enemy was. During the German occupation of Norway, things are different: it is very difficult to locate and identify the enemy.

The enemy can be anywhere; the enemy can be anyone; not just a German soldier, but also a Norwegian citizen who is prepared to report a member of the resistance movement to the German authorities.

Most of the story set in Norway, but there are exceptions:

** A few scenes are set in Scotland where the members of the Norwegian resistance movement were preparing for their secret and dangerous activities in occupied Norway.

** A few scenes are set in Stockholm, capital of neutral Sweden, where members of the Norwegian resistance movement often would go when they needed a break between operations.

In this drama, the focus is on the members of the resistance movement and their activities, but sometimes we also get to see the other side of the conflict. We meet the German Gestapo officer Siegfried Fehmer and the people around him (both Germans and Norwegians).

What do reviewers say about this historical drama? Here are the results of three review aggregators:

60 per cent = Meta
73 per cent = IMDb

83 per cent = Rotten Tomatoes (the general public)

89 per cent = Rotten Tomatoes (the professional critics)

The premiere in Oslo was attended by several prominent persons, including the following:

** The Norwegian King Harald V (born 1937) (son of King Olav V, grandson of King Haakon VII)

** Tikken Manus (who is a character in the drama)

** Gunnar Sønsteby (who is a character in the drama)

Many Norwegian reviews are positive. They praise the drama, saying it has a high degree of historical accuracy. But there are some critical comments as well. Here are three examples:

# 1. One observer claims that while Max Manus volunteered to join the Finnish army during the Winter War, he was not involved in direct battles with Soviet forces.

# 2. One observer is concerned that this drama glorifies violence and war in general.

# 3. One observer claims that while the drama is based on a true story, historical truth is not always respected.

While critical comments such as these are relevant, I do not think they can be used to give the drama a poor rating, such as one or two stars.

The drama does not glorify violence and war in general. This accusation is not true.

As for historical accuracy, there may be cases where historical truth is violated, but there are also cases where historical truth is respected by the movie-makers. 

I want to mention two examples. Both examples concern the language that is spoken in the drama:

# 1. The role of the Norwegian King Haakon VII is played by the Danish actor Stig Hoffmeyer. When the king appears in a scene set in Scotland, addressing members of the Norwegian resistance, he speaks in a curious mixture of Danish and Norwegian, which is in fact highly realistic. Why?

The Norwegian king was born in Denmark in 1872. His name was Carl. He was a member of the royal family in Denmark. His brother was King Christian X of Denmark. In 1905, Carl was invited to become the king of Norway.

He accepted this position, but only after a national referendum had shown that the Norwegian people wanted him to have this job. When he came to Norway, he took the name Haakon VII. This is why he speaks Norwegian with a Danish accent. 

The actor is well-chosen.

# 2. The role of the German Gestapo officer Siegfried Fehmer is played by the German actor Ken Duken. When he is with other Germans, he speaks German which is his native language; when he is with Norwegians, he speaks Norwegian, but it is obvious that he is speaking a foreign language. This is realistic. 

The actor is well-chosen.

In my opinion, the rating of Meta (60 per cent) is too harsh. On the other hand, I cannot go all the way to the top, because of the critical comments mentioned above. Therefore I think this drama deserves a rating of four stars.

PS. The German occupation of Norway during World War Two is the subject of several historical dramas. Here are some examples:

** The Heroes of Telemark (1965)

** The Saboteurs (2015) (a miniseries in six parts)

** The King’s Choice (2016)

** The Spy (2019) (about Sonja Wigert)

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Max Manus (1914-1996)

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