The Arctic Convoy

...and have watched enough films to know a good one when I see one. All films, even, The Sound of Music, present at least one conflict and in the lesser movies, that single conflict is always resolved and the ending is happy. There is a good element and a bad element and good guys win.

In more complex films, there are often multiple conflicts with multiple layers of good and bad. The resolution to the conflicts isn't always clear and good vs bad is may be difficult to discern. A resolution to the conflicts may not be evident.

Such is the case in The Arctic Convoy. Don't expect clear cut good vs evil and don't expect to know the "right thing to do."

The story is outstanding. The acting is first rate. Cinematography and special effects are at the least adequate and actually quite good considering the cold, gray arctic backdrop they had to work with. Sound is excellent.

I seldom rate a film over 7 and in this case was tempted to offer a 9 but I haven't slept on it yet so I backed off to an 8. I think most viewers will enjoy it.

Das Boot Franchise has greatly interested me in WWII naval warfare. I had to wait almost 8 months to watch the Konvoi. Tobias Santelmann is one of the leading actors in Norway. There are many TV series where you can watch him with different roles such as being a Viking leader, a serial killer, or a murder suspect who belongs to the LGBT community. Hence, Santelmann is really a gifted actor. In this movie, he is AWESOME because he portrays a second captain on a cargo ship that is trying to send supplies to the Soviet Union against Nazi Germany. This movie is a gem and watch it because you learn things about the unknown heroes of WW2.

With a dash of sheer luck, I happened to stumble upon the 2023 movie "Konvoi" (aka "The Arctic Convoy"). Now, I hadn't heard about the movie, nor did I know that it was a Norwegian movie, as the version I had the chance to sit down and watch was titled "The Arctic Convoy".

And I was quite surprised to find out that it was a Norwegian movie, and I was even more impressed by how intense and well-told this movie was. Writers Lars Gudmestad, Harald Rosenløw-Eeg and Christian Siebenherz put together quite a script and storyline for the movie, which is based on actual events. And with it being based on actual events just made the movie all the more impactful.

I have to say that director Henrik Martin Dahlsbakken really impressed me twice over with this movie. This movie just came out of nowhere and left a big impression on me. And it was an amazingly entertaining and enjoyable movie, given its storyline and the cinematography. It felt like I was onboard the vessel with the crew, and that certainly added to the overall enjoyment of the movie.

I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie. But the actors and single actress in the movie really carried it phenomenally. They put on great performances and it was definitely memorable performances that shined on the screen. I was really impressed with the sheer level of talents that participated in the acting here.

Visually then "Konvoi" was great. It was an intense movie, and it was filmed in a very dynamic way, that made it feel like the audience were right there alongside the crew and part of the action.

If you have the opportunity to sit down and watch "Konvoi", then I would wholeheartedly recommend that you do so. I was really impressed and surprised with how this movie played out and what it turned out to be.

Norwegian cinema really has churned out some interesting movies over the recent years.

My rating of "Konvoi" lands on a most well-deserved seven out of ten stars.

Watched the movie on bluray (upscaled to 4k), the movie was ok, abit overhyped in Norwegian media, they portray it as the best war movie ever made. The vfx/special effects looks very high quality, there are some scenes that have that fake look from cgi, but most people likely won't see it. The movie should have been longer, the story was cut short at the end of the movie and other scenes. Maybe it was a budget decision, many Norwegian movies always end the movie to early and we don't to see the ending and only get the ending in text. Also wish they would release this movie in 4k bluray, but there's little to none Nordic movies released in 4k format sadly.

If you liked Das Boot, you'll love The Arctic Convoy!

This film was riveting from beginning to end and had me on the edge of my seat.

Casting and performances were first rate, as was the cinematography, and timing.

Based on a true story- 23 out of 35 merchant ships were sunk during Convoy PQ 17!

While he did not take part in any of the WW2 convoys, my father served in the merchant marine in the 1930s sailing through Arctic waters and often told me about the bitter cold and fear of ice.

Combine that with the threat from German planes and U-boats, and the real world voyage must have been very traumatic!

Highly recommended!