Narvik: Hitler’s First Defeat – Movie Review
Director: Erik Skjoldbjærg
Writer: Christopher Grøndahl (Screenplay)
Writer: Christopher Grøndahl, Erik Skjoldbjærg, Live Bonnevie, Sebastian Torngren Wartin (Story)
Cast
- Kristine Hartgen
- Henrik Mestad
- Stig Henrik Hoff (The Thing)
- Christoph Bach
- Carl Martin Eggesbø
Plot: April 1940. The eyes of the world are on Narvik, a small town in northern Norway, source of the iron ore needed for Hiter’s war machinery. Through two months of fierce winter warfare, Hitler is dealt his first defeat.
Runtime: 1 Hour 48 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Narvik: Hitler’s First Defeat starts when the small Norwegian town of Narvik comes under attack by the Germans. They take control of the town, wanting the locals to help with the iron ore operation to help in the war. Ingrid Tofte (Hartgen) is an interpreter between the Mayor and the Germans.
As the Norwegians look for a way out of the town, wanting to keep their civilians safe. They find themselves needing to operate in secret, despite the Germans not using an aggressive approach yet. However, knowing the English are coming, they want to get out of the conflict before innocent lives are taken, leading to their own operation to bring down the Germans.
Verdict on Narvik: Hitler’s First Defeat
Narvik: Hitler’s First Defeat is a war drama showing the first time Hitler’s Nazis last a battle in World War II. His men came up against a determined Norwegian town and army that wouldn’t give up a war-defining set of equipment without a fight. Showing their bravery, they put in to go around in secret to save their loved ones.
This shows the impossible position Ingrid and her fellow civilians were trapped in the middle of the conflict. The families feared for their lives during the combat. While the soldiers had to wait for their chance to take back their city. This does fall into another tragic story from the war, where people lost their lives. In the combat sequences, we see pure terror from being involved in the battles. Seeing their own town attacked and not knowing what will come next.
Where to Watch: Narvik: Hitler’s First Defeat is available on Netflix Now.
Final Thoughts – Narvik: Hitler’s First Defeat is a hard-hitting war movie.