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Operation Napoleon

Original title: Napóleonsskjölin
  • 2023
  • 1h 42m
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
3.8K
YOUR RATING
Operation Napoleon (2023)
A lawyer sucked into an international conspiracy after being accused of a murder she didn't commit. Only chance of survival lies in uncovering the secret of an old German World War II airplane, discovered on Iceland's largest glacier.
Play trailer2:36
3 Videos
24 Photos
Conspiracy ThrillerActionAdventureThriller

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 airplan... Read allA 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.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.

  • Director
    • Óskar Thór Axelsson
  • Writers
    • Marteinn Thorisson
    • Arnaldur Indriðason
  • Stars
    • Vivian Ólafsdóttir
    • Jack Fox
    • Iain Glen
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.1/10
    3.8K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Óskar Thór Axelsson
    • Writers
      • Marteinn Thorisson
      • Arnaldur Indriðason
    • Stars
      • Vivian Ólafsdóttir
      • Jack Fox
      • Iain Glen
    • 23User reviews
    • 23Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 4 nominations total

    Videos3

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:36
    Official Trailer
    Operation Napoleon
    Trailer 2:35
    Operation Napoleon
    Operation Napoleon
    Trailer 2:35
    Operation Napoleon
    Official US Trailer
    Trailer 2:36
    Official US Trailer

    Photos23

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    Top cast52

    Edit
    Vivian Ólafsdóttir
    • Kristín Jóhannesdóttir
    Jack Fox
    Jack Fox
    • Prof. Steve Rush
    Iain Glen
    Iain Glen
    • William Carr
    Wotan Wilke Möhring
    Wotan Wilke Möhring
    • Simon
    Ólafur Darri Ólafsson
    Ólafur Darri Ólafsson
    • Einar Ragnarsson
    Atli Óskar Fjalarsson
    Atli Óskar Fjalarsson
    • Elías Jóhannesson
    Adesuwa Oni
    Adesuwa Oni
    • Julie Ratoff
    Annette Badland
    Annette Badland
    • Sarah Steinkamp
    Elisabeth Clark-Hasters
    • Doris Jones
    Jaymes Butler
    Jaymes Butler
    • General Ferrell
    Birna Rún Eiríksdóttir
    • Vally
    Höskuldur Þór Jónsson
    Höskuldur Þór Jónsson
    • Benni
    Nanna Kristín Magnúsdóttir
    • Rósa
    Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson
    • Johannes
    Hjörtur Jóhann Jónsson
    Hjörtur Jóhann Jónsson
    • Runólfur
    Kathleen Renish
    Kathleen Renish
    • Ambassador Russell
    Julia Schmitt
    • Moneypenny
    Carrie Dimaculangan
    Carrie Dimaculangan
    • Young Embassy Employee (Liz)
    • Director
      • Óskar Thór Axelsson
    • Writers
      • Marteinn Thorisson
      • Arnaldur Indriðason
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews23

    6.13.8K
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    10

    Featured reviews

    5adakli

    arnaldur deserves much better...

    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...
    7Funkenspalter

    Actually for the big screen

    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.
    6ma-cortes

    An acceptable Icelandic thriller with suspense, tension, surprises, plot twists and Nazi themes.

    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.
    9robertdziekonski

    If you love clive cussler books you'll love 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.
    4whitetowel-74786

    We come from the land of the ice and snow...

    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.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Goofs
      When Elias calls Kristin from the glacier, he uses a normal mobile phone not a satellite phone. Cell coverage in Iceland is limited to cities and main roads - he would have had no service in the middle of a glacier.

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    FAQ17

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 11, 2023 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Iceland
      • Germany
    • Languages
      • Icelandic
      • English
      • Polish
    • Also known as
      • 行動代號拿破崙
    • Filming locations
      • Langjökull glacier, Iceland(location, double for Vatnajökull glacier, Iceland)
    • Production companies
      • Saga Film
      • Splendid Film
      • MMC Movies
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $1,618
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $909
      • Aug 13, 2023
    • Gross worldwide
      • $469,632
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 42m(102 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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