| The 12th Man | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Directed by | Harald Zwart |
| Written by | Petter Skavlan [no] (credited as Alex Boe)[1] |
| Based on | Jan Baalsrud and Those Who Saved Him by
|
| Produced by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Geir Hartly Andreassen |
| Edited by | Jens Christian Fodstad |
| Music by | Christophe Beck |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | IFC Midnight |
Release date |
|
Running time | 135 minutes |
| Country | Norway |
| Languages | Norwegian German English |
| Budget | 64 millionNorwegian krone |
| Box office | $9.6 million (Norway)[2] |
The 12th Man (Norwegian:Den 12. mann) is a 2017 Norwegianhistorical drama film directed byHarald Zwart, starringThomas Gullestad asJan Baalsrud, who escapes from occupyingNazi Germans on the island ofRebbenesøya, via theLyngen Fjord and Manndalen, to neutral Sweden in the spring of 1943. The film, based on historical events ofOperation Martin and the escape ofJan Baalsrud, adapted from the bookJan Baalsrud and Those Who Saved Him (2001) by Tore Haug and Astrid Karlsen Scott.[3]
Like the book,The 12th Man emphasizes the efforts of those who helped Baalsrud escape, which is in line with Baalsrud's own statements about the local population's courage. The plot also details the pursuit of Baalsrud from theSicherheitsdienst (SD) leadership's perspective, depicting the escape as acat-and-mouse game betweenSturmbannführerKurt Stage and Baalsrud.
The 12th Man tells the dramatic story of Jan Baalsrud's escape from theNazis during theSecond World War.
InShetland, 12Norwegian resistance fighters board a fishing boat with eight tons ofTNT and cross theNorth Sea as part ofOperation Martin with a plan to sabotage German military facilities. The mission gets into trouble soon after reaching Norway, where their local contact is long dead and their identity is compromised by a German sympathiser, who informs the Germans about their arrival.
A German warship locates the fishing boat and opens fire. The resistance fighters ignite the TNT and jump into the water near the fjord. Eleven of the fighters are rounded up by the Germans on the beach. One is shot on the spot and ten are captured. Two die from torture while being interrogated, the other captive fighters are executed on the island ofTromsøya, after the German officers interrogate and torture them about their mission.
The 12th resistance fighter, Jan Baalsrud, manages to escape by hiding and swimming across the fjord, in sub-zero temperatures. He receives assistance from locals who risk their lives to help. He undergoes severe physical trials of endurance and hardship. Baalsrud is helped to escape from the island ofRebbenesøya to Sweden, viaLyngenhalvøya andManndalen.[4]
In March 2004, producer Veslemøy Ruud Zwart secured the film rights to the bookJan Baalsrud and Those Who Saved Him.[5] Filming began by April 2016.[6] The book and its film adaptation have the same protagonist asArne Skouen's Oscar-nominated filmNine Lives (1957), in which Baalsrud's courage and stamina were also emphasized. Jan Baalsrud's story was also told inWe Die Alone byDavid Howarth.
According to German documents, the Nazis captured and killed the other 11 members of the raid, but believed the 12th man had perished in the blast aboard their boat. There are no reports indicating that the Germans knew to hunt for Baalsrud, who claims that he killed two German soldiers in the fight.[7]
Thomas Gullestad went on a diet to play the lead role.[8]
Onreview aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 86%, based on 21 reviews with an average rating of 6.52/10.[9]Metacritic gives the film a weighted average score of 70 out of 100, based on ten critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[10]
Aftenposten observes that the film emphasizes Baalsrud's helpers and the struggle of the Resistance in a completely different way than inArne Skouen's filmNine Lives (1957);The 12th Man offers a nuance to the Baalsrud legend.[11]
Morten Ståle Nilsen, inVerdens Gang, refers toThe 12th Man as "a solid, but predictable film". While complimenting the amazing scenery of Norway,VS said its magnificent nature couldn't save the film from being monotonous, overlong, and too focused on suffering.[12]
Nicolai Berg Hansson, fromFilm Magasinet, said the film was successful as anaction movie, but if one is to criticize it for something, "it may feel a bit… hollow. It might have said much more about human psychology, survival instinct and trauma".[13]
Sigurd Vik, fromP3'sFilm Police, believed the film was playing with clichés, especially in the depiction of the SS officer Kurt Stage. The review complimented director Zwart's influence ofNils Gaup, "when combining magnificent coastal and mountain scenery, and the insolence of the wilderness with dense and tough action sequences". The review also said that turning a serious Norwegian Resistance struggle into an action film works well.[14]
Thomas Gullestad må ned 15 kilo før han skal spele Jan Baalsrud på film.