This danish movie is very similar to the far superior movie "Black Book", which also focused on people who suffered from the constant threat of the German occupation. While the latter one had a three dimensional heroine, a mature and suspenseful plot and believable action and sex in it, the danish version falls flat on its face in every aspect of film-making. This isn't due to a minimal budget and it certainly can't be blamed on the actors, which all had good performances in their careers.
Despite the fact, that this movie is based on true events, you never really care about the two main characters. This is due to the directors inability to involve the audience emotionally in their actions. He does a miserable job in presenting the crisis the main characters suffer from - he thinks many close ups and hectoliters of human sweat are enough to show such feelings as guilt, anger, fear and greed.
The mediocre the directing is, it sure hadn't a good script to rely on. For example: At the beginning there is a scene in which a lot of characters are presented with their names and main characteristics. This is done at considerable length. Too bad that most of these people are totally unimportant for the rest of the movie. When some of them are shot down, you couldn't care less. (Yeah that's sad, but violence is one of the most prominent features in modern cinema and so one is used to see people get shot. And in bad movies like this one, you don't feel a thing.)
Especially in the last act, the movie totally falls to pieces. At the screening that i attended, some people were laughing, when the heroes met their fate and the tragic ending was presented in all its cheap glory. Even as i hold behavior like this as disrespectful, i must admit, that it really was ridiculous enough to be laughed at. And remember this is supposed to be a movie which is based on actual facts, about two danish war-heroes and their actions against the Nazis!!
Obviously the people who were responsible for this mess, couldn't decide whether to make a dramatization of an historic event or an action movie à la Peckinpah or Woo. They failed on both parts.
Even Hollywood as done more serious stuff about the subject and that says something.
Despite the fact, that this movie is based on true events, you never really care about the two main characters. This is due to the directors inability to involve the audience emotionally in their actions. He does a miserable job in presenting the crisis the main characters suffer from - he thinks many close ups and hectoliters of human sweat are enough to show such feelings as guilt, anger, fear and greed.
The mediocre the directing is, it sure hadn't a good script to rely on. For example: At the beginning there is a scene in which a lot of characters are presented with their names and main characteristics. This is done at considerable length. Too bad that most of these people are totally unimportant for the rest of the movie. When some of them are shot down, you couldn't care less. (Yeah that's sad, but violence is one of the most prominent features in modern cinema and so one is used to see people get shot. And in bad movies like this one, you don't feel a thing.)
Especially in the last act, the movie totally falls to pieces. At the screening that i attended, some people were laughing, when the heroes met their fate and the tragic ending was presented in all its cheap glory. Even as i hold behavior like this as disrespectful, i must admit, that it really was ridiculous enough to be laughed at. And remember this is supposed to be a movie which is based on actual facts, about two danish war-heroes and their actions against the Nazis!!
Obviously the people who were responsible for this mess, couldn't decide whether to make a dramatization of an historic event or an action movie à la Peckinpah or Woo. They failed on both parts.
Even Hollywood as done more serious stuff about the subject and that says something.