Opération Napoléon

If ever there was a 'foreign' film crying out for a Hollywood remake with a big director, star names and a decent budget, 'Operation Napoleon' is it.

The premise of a mysteriously long missing WW2 Nazi plane and its clandestine mission re-discovered in Iceland (thanks to global warming) is a damn good one.

However the low event feel, wooden cast and annoying crossover of Icelandic and English dialogue ultimately ruins it. Indeed, the film plays out more like a terrestrial tv show than a big screen movie. It even audaciously sets itself up for a sequel in an unneccesary tagged-on ending.

Plus points are the stunning widescreen vistas, good pacing and some reasonable action sequences, but these are outweighed by a clunky screenplay, lack of chemistry between the two leads and the aforementioned wooden acting. Brit actor Jack Fox (from the Fox acting dynasty) is especially bad as a bumbling professor come sidekick, while the sadistic pencil-loving female CIA agent is downright laughable.

I would suggest however, if you can get past all these obvious groans and gripes it's worth a watch, but don't expect a classic of the genre like The Odessa File, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo or Marathon Man... this is more akin to a prime-time Netflix drama set in the snow.

I enjoy reading icelandic crime novels, and although i live in a mediterranean country, i am very attracted to the icy scenes, thick wool sweaters, snowmobiles, and aerial views of snowy forests. I also really like the detective erlendur series of arnaldur indraðsson, perhaps the greatest writer of icelandic detective fiction. The novel which the movie is based on is not one of them, but when i saw indraðsson's name, i was excited to watch it. But the result is a complete disappointment. I wish i had bought and read the book before. The movie is terrible, and now that i know the plot, i have no desire to read the book. The actors seem to have stepped out of a hollywood c-series movie. So, i was quite happy to see a familiar face in the second half of the movie: ólafur darri ólafsson. He did not surprise me again, he is perhaps the only good thing about this bad movie. With his big body, he makes you think how tired he was on the film set, but even if he was, he never shows any signs of tiredness in the films, he moves so easily within the story that for a moment, one can forget that he is watching something fictional. It can still be watched to kill time, but when you take away a few good things like ólafsson, there is almost nothing left...

The film begins in April 1945, days before the Nazi surrender, when a bomber flies over Iceland in the middle of a terrible storm. Almost 80 years later, some hikers find remains of the plane on the Vatjanokull glacier, remains that hide a secret that could change the course of history and that the deputy director of the CIA wants to obtain before anyone else. Then a lawyer is sucked into an international conspiracy after being accused of a murder she didn't commit. Her only chance of survival lies in uncovering the secret of an old German WWII airplane, discovered on Iceland's largest glacier.

An old and dark Nazi secret, the deputy director of the CIA, some inopportune witnesses and a young woman forced to rescue her brother and trying to solve the enigma to save her life come together in this murky and dangerous thriller. Being based on the crime novel of the same name by the Nordic writer (Reikavik Nights, Hypothermia¨). Starring Icelandic actress Vivian Ólafsdóttir , Iain Glen (Jorah Mormont in Game of Thrones) and Jack Fox (series ¨Sandition, ¨Riviera¨). As tense as it is exciting, the film is the most expensive in the history of Icelandic cinema. The historical part of the film Operation Napoleon is inspired by one of the biggest secrets of World War II, surrounding a long-mysterious train about which there are doubts whether it really existed, and revolving around a persistent rumor of exile that is probably true but never verified, however, the intrigue part of the film dedicated to contemporary American espionage is fiction. Thus, following in the footsteps of Arnaldur Indridason's book from which it is well adapted, the film Operation Napoleon romanticizes a true story to bring it to the screen with a certain power, containing enough intrigue and tension throughout until a surprising ending that is left open for a possible second part.

The film mixes theories of Hitler's last days, in which he had allegedly signed a pact with the allies in order to escape to Argentina, along with so-called Nazi gold. The Nazi Gold Train is an urban legend about a train loaded with gold and treasure that was hidden by the Nazis in southwestern Poland during the final days of World War II. The apocryphal story claims that the train full of valuables, including works of art, was hidden in a sealed railway tunnel or mine in the central Sudetenland by the retreating Nazis. Despite numerous searches since 1945, including by the Polish army during the Cold War, no evidence of the train, its tracks or its treasure has ever been found. Historians believe the train never existed. However, some people believe it to be true. Between 2015 and 2018, the train received renewed interest from global media when two Poles claimed to have discovered it using ground-penetrating radar. The search culminated in an excavation involving the Polish military, state officials and privately funded individuals.

This is a perfect example of how you completely fail at adapting a book into a movie. The only thing this film has in common with the book is its title.

The story, characters names; their backstory, age and even gender are different from the book in every way. I wonder how the book's author could have possibly greenlit this script. The result is a paper thin film, a typical cliché which brings nothing original or fresh to this genre of "made for Hollywood" film market.

The characters drive, ambitions and goals are never solidified in any believable way. Heck they're barely introduced to the viewer by name half of the time.

Just to top it all, the "plot" behind the movie is hastily explained after everything has transpired, followed by the lame "two weeks later" on a black screen. The tone of the film weirdly changes to an Indiana Jones movie, completely contradicting the vague character building we have been objected to throughout the film.

The ending then gives a hint at a sequel which is funny considering there is only one book. But hey, why not, the book has already been established as a mere formality at this point.

Operation Napoleon is a great film for fans of mysteries and international intrigue. Its interesting plot shines, thanks to stellar cinematography and despite a rough screenplay and sometimes wooden performances from the cast.

Operation Napoleon follows Icelandic lawyer Kristín (Vivian Ólafsdóttir), who is drawn into an international conspiracy and falsely implicated in a murder after her brother finds a Nazi plane atop the Vatnajokull Glacier. Now she must unravel the history behind the conspiracy, codenamed Operation Napoleon by the CIA, and escape U. S. agents tracking her down.

As with many Nordic films, the style of acting in Operation Napoleon is very understated. This does not do the film too many favors when it comes to scenes of life and death, in which the characters struggle to emote and to immerse the viewers in each scene. The editing and cinematography are highlights - sets are believable; the color correction is consistently cold (to do justice to Icelandic winters); and everything looks great. The film doesn't slow down to breathe too frequently, which helps keep the momentum of the action going. But the screenplay is a mixed bag; the script doesn't provide enough detail behind many characters' goals and ambitions, and the story waits until the end to explain the real motive behind Operation Napoleon, in a relatively awkward way. Iain Glen, who plays William Carr, and Olafur Darri, who plays Einar, are the best actors of the lot. Ólafsdóttir and her male lead counterpart Jack Fox (who plays researcher Steve Rush) both come across as one-note characters. Still, the premise of the film is interesting enough to keep you watching.

Operation Napoleon promotes honor and the pursuit of truth.

I give Operation Napoleon 3.5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18, plus adults. Operation Napoleon releases in theaters and on demand on August 11, 2023. By Eshaan M., KIDS FIRST!