This was surprisingly good! Seeing it was coming, I was like "Right, another movie that's only there to one-dimensionally worship a Norwegian war hero, so that we can feel like the good guys."
Well, for one thing, it's kind of hard to avoid with Sønsteby, as the facts show he _was_ a hero in a lot of ways. And yet he gets thoroughly challenged in the present-day part of the narrative. This provides important nuance. The Resistance reportedly killed 82 of their own countrymen. Maybe it's naive to think there was a good (enough) reason in each case.
This movie has at least 3 things going for it:
First of all, suspenseful pacing - you're not bored for a second.
Second of all, the lead actors, especially for young Sønsteby. Sjur Vatne Brean. What a talent, and what perfect casting! It's ironic, because Sønsteby survived partly by being inconspicuous and in control of his emotions. However, that wouldn't work on the big screen. Brean is good-looking and charismatic, and an actor can't be stone-faced.
He is still very believable as a man of integrity and authority, while his face shows the toll it all takes on him.
You'd be forgiven for wondering if he ever considered dropping the sixpence - in the movie universe, all the Nazis really had to do was look for the only guy who wears a sixpence all the damn time! Inside and outside, in cafés, offices... In real life it was commonwear; in the movie I don't remember seeing anyone else wearing one!
Again, though, in a movie you have to establish the lead character. The silhouette with the sixpence is iconic. His trademark. If not every Norwegian instantly recognized it before this movie, they will now. And who knows, maybe it will become a symbol of resistance, freedom, and democracy again, in the times we might have ahead.
Third of all, the movie is smartly plotted, with a nice twist that ties back to the beginning, while at the same time touching on the movie's central theme. This sets it apart from the typical biopic or war movie.
It's nice to have someone and something to believe in, especially in our uneasy times. This movie reminded me of that. And the hero doesn't need to be perfect for that, just believable in his qualities.
