Napóleonsskjölin

A great film. The day before yesterday I stood outside the cinema and had the worst selection of films in front of me. There was Barbie, Doggy Style, Blue Beetle, Teenage Mutant .. Mayhem, The Last Voyage of the Demeter and Meg 2. I would have liked Oppenheimer, but it's just too long.

Well, I went to The Last Voyage of the Demeter and it really wasn't good (4/10), but so what? Then today I stumbled across this film "Operation Napoleon" and what can I say after the unspeakable "Indiana Jones 5" film, which for me was also a low point in cinema, what a surprise.

Why doesn't such a well-made film, financed by ZDF (German television) come to the cinemas and instead something like The Last Voyage of the Demeter, also financed by Germany?

"Operation Napoleon" is a film with an exciting plot at last. Yes, it borrows from good films of the past, but with characters you can sympathise with. The film is quite varied and there are enough villains to make life difficult for the heroes.

I'd like to see more of them, European cinema can still produce good films, but unfortunately you have to look for them.

Not very good film but sometimes almost ok. The best thing about this movie was the pace. The movie never stopped or slowed down to breath. The action was nonstop and that is a good thing because you never had time to think about all the things that are wrong with this movie.

The acting was typical "Icelandic" or wooden. Maybe not all the time but enough to bug me. The leading actress was the worst. Iain Glen and Olafur Darri not so bad. The cinematography was also funky or lackluster. Not sure why but the word amateurish comes to mind. I also didn't buy why some characters did what they did. The motivation was missing or wasn't shown.

There are some scenes that are actually very good or at least not terrible. The fighting scene in the airplane was ok, nothing fancy but did the job. Also one or two scenes with Jack Fox and Vivian. I almost believed they liked each other. But most of the time I was thinking there is something missing here. Maybe better director or more money or both could save this movie from five stars that I'm giving it.

Not sure how I lucked out on seeing the trailer 2 days ago online but I'm glad I did. Ended up streaming this today as I had nothing better to do. As an avid reader of clive cussler, the storyline is a spot on copy of one of his books with more of a pursuit thriller tone than treasure hunt. I really enjoyed the casting and liked just about every character. I've seen maybe 10 Iceland films in my life and this will be one I rewatch. Could the storyline be a bit better... sure... but overall this was a fun watch and had me on the edge of my seat for a bit. Good pacing and never felt bored. Highly recommend.

This film was part of a festival package for me (films based on books), but I delayed it until the last moment, because I read "action" and "conspiracy". I find American action thrillers extremely dull and dumb - I should have guessed that an Icelandic movie based on a renowned crime author would be completely different. It's captivating, refreshing, unpretentious, humorous, and fully rewarding. Anyone who's a fan of big budgets and larger-than-life "realism" would feel cheated - which already makes me chuckle. I'm glad this author has been filmed, and I'll look forward to both his books and more adaptations.

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.