6.0/10
4,672
10 user 69 critic

Pionér (2013)

Trailer
2:08 | Trailer
A thriller set at the beginning of the 1980's Norwegian Oil Boom and centered on a diver whose obsession with reaching the bottom of the Norwegian Sea leads to tragedy.

Director:

Erik Skjoldbjærg
3 wins & 6 nominations. See more awards »

Videos

Photos

Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Aksel Hennie ... Petter
Wes Bentley ... Mike
Stephen Lang ... John Ferris
Stephanie Sigman ... Maria Salatzar
Jonathan LaPaglia ... Ronald
Ane Dahl Torp ... Pia
Jørgen Langhelle ... Leif
André Eriksen ... Knut Jensen
David A. Jørgensen David A. Jørgensen ... Jørgen Heimland
Eirik Stubø Eirik Stubø ... Ivar Jeger
Endre Hellestveit Endre Hellestveit ... Trond
Laurents Rørvik Laurents Rørvik ... Martin
Janne Heltberg Janne Heltberg ... Trude Svendsen
Jerker Fahlström ... Jørgens far
Tyrone C. Wiggins Tyrone C. Wiggins ... Vakt (as Tyrone Wiggins)
Learn more

More Like This 

Nokas (2010)
Action | Biography | Crime
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.5/10 X  

The movie portrays Norway's most spectacular robbery, where 11 men occupied central Stavanger for twenty minutes and escaped with 57 million kroner (appx $10 million). A police officer was shot and killed.

Director: Erik Skjoldbjærg
Stars: Marit Synnøve Berg, Frode Winther, Morten Larsen
Uno (2004)
Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.8/10 X  

Uno is a story from inner-city Oslo about David, a twentyfive-year-old with few prospects for the future. His days are spent hanging around with petty criminals at an inner-city gym. Still,... See full summary »

Directors: Aksel Hennie, John Andreas Andersen
Stars: Aksel Hennie, Nicolai Cleve Broch, Bjørn Floberg
Comedy | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.3/10 X  

1979 is ending, the 80s are approaching rapidly. Carl and Robert, two slacker best friends who smoke hashish as a way of cheerful living - have been peddling hashish for a decade, hitting ... See full summary »

Director: Ulrik Imtiaz Rolfsen
Stars: Kristoffer Joner, Nicolai Cleve Broch, Thomas Bo Larsen
Max Manus (2008)
Certificate: 14A Action | Biography | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

The true story about one of the most brilliant saboteurs during World War II and his battle to overcome his inner demons.

Directors: Joachim Rønning, Espen Sandberg
Stars: Aksel Hennie, Agnes Kittelsen, Nicolai Cleve Broch
Crime | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6/10 X  

An unfortunate bank robber takes an escaped mental patient, wanted for murder, as hostage.

Director: Erich Hörtnagl
Stars: Lars Bom, Kristoffer Joner, Laila Goody
Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5.2/10 X  

In a modern version of Ibsen's stage play we meet TV-celebrity Tomas Stockman going back to his native village to produce the world's purest bottle water. The plant will bring new life and ... See full summary »

Director: Erik Skjoldbjærg
Stars: Jørgen Langhelle, Trine Wiggen, Pia Tjelta
Bølgen (2015)
Certificate: PG Drama | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

Although anticipated, no one is really ready when the mountain pass above the scenic, narrow Norwegian fjord Geiranger collapses and creates an 85-meter high violent tsunami. A geologist is one of those caught in the middle of it.

Director: Roar Uthaug
Stars: Kristoffer Joner, Ane Dahl Torp, Jonas Hoff Oftebro
Uro (2006)
Action | Crime | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5.8/10 X  

Turning his back on a delinquent past and joining the police force, HP is determined to start doing the right thing. Soon he finds himself trapped in a web of lies, stretching out from both sides of the law. HP soon realizes that his present mission is closely connected to his own past, and that everything he worked so hard to escape from, is coming back to haunt him.

Director: Stefan Faldbakken
Stars: Nicolai Cleve Broch, Ane Dahl Torp, Ahmed Zeyan
Team Antonsen (TV Series 2004)
Comedy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.2/10 X  

A sketch comedy program with Norwegian comedians Atle Antonsen, Harald Eia, Bård Tufte Johansen and Kristopher Schau performing sketches typified by poking fun at people from Northern Norway and regional dialects.

Stars: Atle Antonsen, Harald Eia, Bård Tufte Johansen
Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.1/10 X  

In the spring of 2009 two Norwegian adventurers, Joshua French and Tjostolv Moland, are accused of killing their hired chauffeur just before crossing into the eastern Congo. The following manhunt starts a political and diplomatic headache.

Director: Marius Holst
Stars: Aksel Hennie, Tobias Santelmann, Ine F. Jansen
Izzat (2005)
Action | Crime | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.3/10 X  

Izzat (honor), the concept of honor in North India and Pakistan

Director: Ulrik Imtiaz Rolfsen
Stars: Emil Marwa, Khawar Gomi Sadiq, Assad Siddique
Kon-Tiki (2012)
Certificate: PG Adventure | Biography | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

Legendary explorer Thor Heyerdal's epic 4,300-mile crossing of the Pacific on a balsawood raft in 1947, in an effort to prove that it was possible for South Americans to settle in Polynesia in pre-Columbian times.

Directors: Joachim Rønning, Espen Sandberg
Stars: Pål Sverre Hagen, Anders Baasmo Christiansen, Gustaf Skarsgård
Edit

Storyline

This conspiracy thriller is set in the early 80's, the beginning of the Norwegian Oil Boom. Enormous oil and gas deposits are discovered in the North Sea and the authorities aim to bring the oil ashore through a pipeline from depths of 500 meters. A professional diver, Petter, obsessed with reaching the bottom of the Norwegian Sea has the discipline, strength and courage to take on the world's most dangerous mission. But a sudden, tragic accident changes everything. Petter is sent on a perilous journey where he loses sight of who's pulling the strings. Gradually he realizes that he is in way over his head and that his life is at stake. Written by Websurfer

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

1980s | downward spiral | oil | sea | diver | See All (38) »

Taglines:

When your ultimate adventure becomes your ultimate nightmare


Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

About 1 hour into the movie you can spot the AdO-arena, the swimming hall in Bergen city, in the background. The movie is supposed to take place in the 80's, but the swimming hall wasn't build until 2014. See more »

Goofs

(at around 35 mins) Petter opens a bag containing bundles of U.S. dollar bills. All denominations shown are clearly the currency designs that began circulation in the late 1990's. The movie is set in 1979. See more »

Connections

Remade as Pioneer See more »

User Reviews

 
Very informative thriller let down by a weak script.
6 August 2017 | by Fella_shibbySee all my reviews

Saw this recently on a DVD. Been on my radar for a long time. Knowin that its from the director of the original Insomnia n the actor from Headhunters, it aroused my curiosity. The film is about Norwegians and Americans cooperating in diving deeper than anyone previously has done to prepare for the installation of a gas pipeline. I found the movie very informative, providing knowledge about decompression sickness. Professional divers r used as guinea pigs while scientists secretly tested gas mixtures thought to counteract harmful deep sea pressures without the participant's knowledge. The film features breathless n claustrophobic underwater sequences. The bottom of the ocean as the dark side of the moon with the Norwegian flag. The scenes where the divers r going through rigorous training to prepare themselves are very tense. The claustrophobic environment of the pressure chamber n the divers' hallucinations created a sense of dread. The cinematography is gorgeous with clean blues, greens, and amber colors. The pacing was a bit letdown. Once the movie is away from the sea, it becomes a bit slow. The other issue was that the American characters, (Lang n Bentley) weren't given more footage n dialogues. The relationship between the lead character n his brother's family were a bit melodramatic at times. The angle of the greedy corporations n politics were full of clichés.


5 of 7 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
Review this title | See all 10 user reviews »

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
Edit

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook | Official site

Country:

Norway | Germany | Sweden | France | Finland

Language:

Norwegian | English

Release Date:

30 August 2013 (Norway) See more »

Also Known As:

Pionér See more »

Edit

Box Office

Budget:

EUR5,555,559 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,857, 7 December 2014

Gross USA:

$6,871

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,656,152
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See full technical specs »

Contribute to This Page



Recently Viewed