X
- 2018
- Unrated
- IFC Midnight
- 2 h 15 m
- 2018
- Unrated
- IFC Midnight
- 2 h 15 m
Summary Norway, 1943. After a failed anti-Nazi sabotage mission leaves his eleven comrades dead, Norwegian resistance fighter Jan Baalsrud (Thomas Gullestad) finds himself on the run from the Gestapo through the snowbound Arctic reaches of Scandinavia. It’s a harrowing journey across unforgiving, frozen wilderness that will stretch on for month...
Directed By: Harald Zwart
Written By: Petter Skavlan
- 2018
- Unrated
- IFC Midnight
- 2 h 15 m
- 2018
- Unrated
- IFC Midnight
- 2 h 15 m
The 12th Man
70
7.8
Where to Watch
Summary Norway, 1943. After a failed anti-Nazi sabotage mission leaves his eleven comrades dead, Norwegian resistance fighter Jan Baalsrud (Thomas Gullestad) finds himself on the run from the Gestapo through the snowbound Arctic reaches of Scandinavia. It’s a harrowing journey across unforgiving, frozen wilderness that will stretch on for month...
Directed By: Harald Zwart
Written By: Petter Skavlan
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 10 Critic Reviews
70
80% Positive
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
20% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 10 Critic Reviews
70
80% Positive
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
20% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Harald Zwart’s thrilling The 12th Man, based on the true story of a Norwegian soldier who escaped the Nazis in World War II, is a shot of adrenaline straight to the heart but also an unexpectedly tender adventure that is as celebratory as it is tense.
The reward of Mr. Zwart’s attention to the unique details of this historical account is that Jan’s path to safety frequently shocks, offering scenes of defiance that are unfamiliar or unexpected. In a familiar genre, The 12th Man preserves the element of surprise by understanding its terrain.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 28 User Ratings
7.8
82% Positive
23 Ratings
23 Ratings
18% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 28 User Ratings
7.8
82% Positive
23 Ratings
23 Ratings
18% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
Absolutely harrowing depiction of a special group of human beings journey to get one important man across some terrible terrain in nazj occupied lands. At times excruciating to watch, but so good. Slow pace, but if you have any patience, it pays off big. 10/10
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I'm not really into war movies and the movie having subtitles did not particularly make it appealing to me but I gave it a try and I am so glad I did. It is a suspenseful exciting true story that left me wanting to see where it goes. This is a story about courage, hope, perseverience which was conveyed so well through the actors and outstanding directing. An absolute must see, way way better than I ever imagined. The characters are very believable, at no point do I even think they are acting. I believed dry scene. Well done.
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The 12th Man is a polished crowd-pleaser, with a timeless message: Nazis suck.
The sort of suspenseful, old-fashioned war movie that should particularly appealing to older viewers, provided they don't mind reading subtitles.
When you’ve hired human actors to do nothing but sneer, shout, and shoot guns, their onscreen function can get ever so slightly monotonous. This is not the movie’s only reliance on commonplaces but it’s the most prominent.
Baalsrud never claimed to be a hero and the emphasis of this gripping reconstruction rightly falls on the resourcefulness, courage and self-sacrifice of those who epitomised the spirit of resistance.
This extraordinary story has unfortunately been turned into a handsomely produced but laborious, drawn-out and dramatically inert movie.
A chilling (quite literally), dramatic and also sweet movie about Jan Baalsrud and the patriots who helped him survive his trip across the Sweden border during WW2.
You really root for this guy through all of his / their ordeals. It actually has some comedic moments as well, which helps to break up the misery throughout. There is not one boring minute in this film.
It is extremely well done too. The acting is top-notch from everyone. The set pieces are, naturally, stunning! The northern Norway with the icy hills and mountains are a thing of legends. And this movie uses those backdrops in the best possible ways.
There really isn't a single thing in this movie I didn't like. Maybe except for the very last part of the movie. It does go a tiny bit overboard at the very end with the fantastical dramatization. But nothing that made me appreciate the movie and the story any less.
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This struck me as a bit of a combination in terms of the plot and setting/circumstances of both The Revenant and The Book Thief (and also slightly of another perhaps less well known film called 'Another Mothers Son'). Its undoubtedly a bleak watch - at times there's not much dialogue (which, for me, were subtitles given its partly in Norwegian, German and Saami, although there is some English, I wouldn't say its the main language spoken throughout, I consider this more of a world cinema title) and often we can hear the obvious extreme discomfort of the titular character, having to try to cope with their injuries while evading re-capture, by befriending locals. For a fair number of scenes, there is quite dark (if much at all) lighting, so we can't always make out everything going on (for example, in scenes set at night) but then for some that may be a bit of a blessing if you wouldn't like to be subject to every detail. I'd certainly say that this is an effectively atmospheric film regardless.
However, lighting aside - it does feature some scenes depicting bloody injuries, although I wouldn't say its over the top in terms of extreme graphic detail but if your particularly squeamish about seeing or hearing people in distress with bloody injuries, then you may well prefer to not watch this, of course. I certainly thought it was an interesting story - I like seeing how people with very few options deal with being in the place, with the people, they find themself surrounded by and what happens to them. Of course the fact its based on a true story made it even more compelling for me and I also liked some of the landscape shots/cinematography.
Overall, yes I would recommend this film.
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Es una historia de supervivencia. Como everest, north face, náufrago, caballo de guerra, Unbreakble. Moby ****, Kon tiki (del mismo escritor) Esperaba más pq es de ****. Pero se enfocan más en sobrevivir a base de esfuerzo físico superando la naturaleza. La "fotografía" es maravillosa, sientes la nieve y el frío. El problema la historia se repite mucho. Saca muchos personajes. Y todos son una raza looser a comparación de Alemania. Y se tienen q unir para hacer algo hasta cierto punto X, por una misión que fracaso al segundo 1.
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I didn't think it was an incompetent drama, but it abuses its duration because its own story lent itself to something more vital or more active, because the tension of survival exists, and that helps a lot so that your interest doesn't decline, but I do think it lacked more intensity.
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Awards
Amanda Awards, Norway
• 3 Wins & 4 Nominations
Kosmorama, Trondheim Internasjonale Filmfestival
• 1 Win & 4 Nominations
Silk Road International Film Festival China
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
