Review ‘No. 24’: a resistance leader talks about the battle of Oslo
Director: Juan Andrés Andersen | Script: Espen Lauritzen von Ibenfeldt, Erlend Loe | Cast: Sjur Vatne Brean (Gunnar Sønsteby), Erik Hivju (Gunnar Sønsteby, oud), Mark Noble (John Skinner Wilson), Lisa Loven Kongsli (Gudrun Collett), August Wittgenstein (Siegfried Fehmer), each | Playing time: 111 minutes | Year: 2024
Two years ago Netflix presented the exciting war film Narvikabout the Wehrmacht invasion of Norway in 1940. A Norwegian unit held out in the bitter cold around the port city of the same name for two months – the longest army of any country that attacked Germany at the beginning of World War II. World War. No. 24 is Narvik Unofficial successor, because this film describes the dangerous life of a resistance fighter during the German occupation of Oslo. It is a life full of sacrifices and moral choices, because the “good works” of resistance also have consequences.
Gunnar Sønsteby, however, as an old man, giving information at a secondary school, is clear: different rules apply during war. Only black and white remains. But then he gets some critical questions from the audience. The young audience is curious to know if Gunnar also killed fellow Norwegians during the years of occupation. The former resistance leader is visibly shaken and his response seems mostly like an excuse. During war, different rules apply…
No. 24 It has a conventional story structure. The experiences of Gunnar and his fellow fighters are interspersed with interactions during the informational afternoon at the high school. The rhythm is pretty good. The film sometimes makes big time jumps: what is not interesting is not shown. There are sabotage actions, training in the United Kingdom, assassination attempts and, above all, many identity changes. Gunnar’s ‘career’ is as exciting as that of the orange soldiers and the red-haired girl.
However, we don’t learn much about Gunnar himself. In fact, he postpones his private life until he finishes his work. He himself says about the war years: “There was nothing that could touch me.” In this true story, this is understandable on the one hand, but it doesn’t make his character any more interesting or sympathetic. Even when the emotional climax is reached, it doesn’t hit the viewer as hard as it should. Simply because we haven’t gotten involved enough in Gunnar’s inner life. His character is reflected in his actions, which are black and white, although a little gray is usually more pleasing for dramatic development.
However, it is No. 24 A very entertaining war film. The acting is good, there is a lot of attention to detail and the story is quite fascinating, although we already know it from many Dutch productions. Congratulations also to the design. Everything oozes the right atmosphere and the few CGI explosions look surprisingly good. Yes, anbefales på det stronger!
No. 24 can be seen in netflix.