Max Manus: Man of War (2008) on Netflix
NR20081h 58mActionBiographyDrama
Max Manus returns from fighting the Soviets in Finland to a Norway occupied by Nazi Germany. He joins the resistance movement and produces illegal propaganda until his cell is uncovered.
- Netflix3.8/5
- IMDb7.3/1031,724 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes79%
Trailer
Plot summary
Norway is under Nazi occupation when Max Manus comes home from the Winter War in Finland, where he fought the Soviets as a volunteer. Haunted by that service, he sides with the resistance and helps print illegal propaganda. The Germans detect his cell, and he is arrested after jumping from a window. Hospitalized, he gets away to Scotland for training in sabotage and disinformation from British commandos, then goes back to Norway with his friend Gregers Gram to attack German supply ships.
Cast
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Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Max Manus: Man of War (2008)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- To make Oslo look like the early 1940s, parts of the city were dressed to period — a process that included flying the flag of Nazi Germany from the roof of the parliament building for the first time in over 60 years.
- In 2009 Max Manus became the first Norwegian film ever chosen for a gala viewing at the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto, Ontario; the Toronto screening served as the film's international premiere.
- Historian Lars Borgersrud criticised the film's lack of historical accuracy, saying Max Manus never saw action in the Winter War despite Manus detailing it in his own books, and accused Norway's Resistance Museum of distorting history. Museum director Arnfinn Moland rejected the accusations, saying evidence showed Manus endured heavy artillery and machine gun fire in Finland.
- Max Manus was seen by around 140,500 people on its opening weekend, a national record for a Norwegian film; the previous record of 101,564 was set earlier the same year by the horror film Cold Prey 2.
- An illegal copy of Max Manus appeared on file-sharing networks less than two weeks after release; producer John M. Jacobsen said it appeared to have been recorded in an empty theatre, raising suspicion that a projectionist was involved, and the matter was reported to police.
- Several large sequences set in Stockholm, Sweden, were not newly shot for the film: they were taken from the Swedish film 1939, which was released in 1989.
