Director Petter Naess
Script Ole Meldgaard, Dave Mango, Petter Naess
Cast Florian Lukas, David Kross, Stig Henrik Hoff, Lachlan Nieboer, Rupert Grint
Drama Running time: 100mins
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Director Petter Naess came to prominence with his second outing, Elling in 2001. Also Known as Into The White, Cross Of Honour is Petter’s ninth feature and is described in the opening credits as being loosely based upon real events, where two dogfighting aircraft are downed over Norway in the middle of winter.
Unfortunately for all, very little of what must indeed have been an extraordinary true story remains in this clumsy, dull and unconvincing portrait of adversarial airmen forced to cohabit. All the more extraordinary then, when one considers that these roles are based upon real people, that they muster only two dimensions per character on celluloid.
The relationships feel contrived all round and, as the action takes place for the most part in a shed, it plays out like a stage-play with characters taking it in turns to open up to very little satisfaction all round. Considering this film will be heavily sold on Rupert Grint even though it is very much an ensemble piece, he has pulled up a very unconvincing Liverpudlian accent and, without the weight of the Potter Blitzkrieg behind him, there was precious little magic to speak of. His performance is misjudged; at odds with the others as well as the film as a whole.
Aside from some stellar exceptions, pieces in English directed by foreign directors have often been known to lose a wheel. Perhaps it was in the translation of nuance, either in script or in the playing of the characters. Certainly the English dialogue was leaden, the laughter forced and the audience remained firmly ahead of the action with never any threat of surprise. There never felt to be any real jeopardy at all and therefore very little drama.
It may be that this film still cuts a return from the very solid fanbase that Grint undoubtedly retains but, unless obligated by a young member of your immediate family, I would avoid…AT.
The DVD releases on the 1 October 2012