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Created Sep 25, 2013 12:23AM PST • Edited Apr 25, 2014 10:27AM PST

1. Quality

2. Summary

   Very Good 3.5

   True stories from World War II were mostly all made into movies well before 2012. Yet this one flew under the radar. Understandable perhaps for a story set far from the heart of the war, one that’s not even strategic, just a quotidian miracle from the great white North. Reindeer walk by, for goodness sake.

   Yet it’s a powerful story, more so for being largely true, with lots to it, as documented in Wikipedia.

   More maudlin than moving, Into the White’s still a war movie that war movie buffs will love. Dialog that’s turgid as often as trenchant is a small price to pay for a powerful, surprising and true military drama.

   Its main attraction for some is Rupert Grint, formerly Harry’s buddy Ron Weasley. He’s another great second banana here, albeit stuck amongst some desperate guys with Hermione nowhere to be seen.

   Into the White just came on Netflix Instant, making it a worthy destination for serious war movie fans.

4. Acting

   Very Good 3.5

   German Luftwaffe

   • Florian Lukas as Leutnant Horst Schopis. Guy needs a hug.
   • David Kross as Unteroffizier Josef Schwartz. Guy needs an arm.
   • Stig Henrik Hoff as Feldwebel Wolfgang Strunk. Guy needs a friend.

   British RAF

   • Lachlan Nieboer’s Captain Charles P. Davenport brings the young Hugh Grant to mind.
   • Rupert Grint’s Gunner Robert Smith is another great second banana role for the man who played Ron Weasley – all-time great second banana.

   Norwegian Ski Patrol

   • Kim Haugen as Bjørn Gustavsen. Got that?
   • Knut Joner as Harald Gustavsen. Not that they say much.
   • Morten Faldaas as Terje. Yes, they’re lots of them, most little more than XC skiing extras.
   • Sondre Krogtoft Larsen as Kjell – Norwegian Ski Patrol. Last one.

5. Male Stars Very Good 3.5

6. Female Stars Very Good 3.5

7. Female Costars Very Good 3.5

8. Male Costars Very Good 3.5

10. Film

    Very Good 3.5

    Petter Næss deserves huge credit for making this film, both directing and cowriting it. Plus his last name mashes up “a” & “e” to make æ. That’s a great Norwegian trick.

    Another great trick is to use sound effects and shadows to vividly suggest the brief air battle that downs dueling Luftwaffe and RAF planes. Savvy and effective filmmaking, that.

    Official Norway, Sweden, Germany coproduction.

11. Direction Great 4.0

12. Play Good 3.0

13. Music OK 2.5

14. Visuals Very Good 3.5
15. Content

16. Edge

    Risqué 2.2

    People get shot and otherwise killed in war.

17. Sex Innocent 1.0

18. Violence Brutal 3.1

19. Rudeness Salty 2.5

21. Reality

    Glib 1.3

    • Game theory come to life.
    • Krauts totally hierarchical even in small group of three. (Apologies for the pejorative German reference. It is a WWII movie.)

22. Circumstantial Glib 1.6

    Why’d they change some of the names?

23. Biological Glib 1.2

24. Physical Natural 1.0