We follow two best friends who are sailors, and they will experience a lot when World War II breaks out. Will they survive, and if so, will they ever be the same as they were before the war?
I decided to watch the miniseries that’s about 30 minutes longer than the movie version. There’s not much difference in runtime, so it’s best to watch the extended version in this case.
In the lead roles, we find Norway’s two best actors, Kristoffer Joner and my favorite, Pål Sverre Hagen. Don’t you dare mention Aksel Hennie! He is and will always be a mediocre actor. I will never understand why he has become Norway’s most well-known international actor.
You can’t expect a Hollywood production when you watch Krigsseileren aka War Sailor. What you will get is a character study of two best friends who are happy with their lives until they must take part in the war, working on ships transporting goods that the Allies need to stop the evil Germans.
They experience a lot, and we get to see some heartbreaking scenes that will change these two forever, especially the character played by Kristoffer Joner. His psyche isn’t as strong as his best friend’s, so you know that he will turn into damaged goods when he has to do things that go against his nature.
If you like heavy drama movies where we see how people change during the war after experiencing a lot of dark things that are not good for the human mind, and you can read, then Krigsseileren aka War Sailor is a Norwegian war movie/miniseries about the forgotten heroes that you should watch. The acting is excellent, and some sequences here are brilliantly put together with the tension and emotional scenes that you will experience in the same sequence. But do not expect a war movie with a lot of action. This is not the point of this movie, and it would be too expensive to make on a Norwegian budget.