THursday, a Norwegian film that's not just for Norwegians opens the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival.
"Max Manus" (★★★ out of four stars) is a pulse-quickening epic of World War II espionage that proudly salutes the heroism of Norway's most audacious anti-Nazi fighter. As played by swollen-eyed Aksel Hennie (picture Steve Buscemi with more meat on the bone), Max Manus is an ordinary Oslo guy who takes the German occupation as a personal call to action: He learns to fight in the Finnish infantry, jump through windows, bomb German supply tankers with his ill-fated buddies, and fire a machine gun from a speeding motorbike.
The film is the priciest ever made in Norway, its production values triggering a brisk, Hollywood-style blockbuster vibe. It plays tonight at 7 and 7:15 on two separate screens at the St. Anthony Main Theatre, 115 SE. Main St., Mpls. Gunnar Sonsteby, 91, a real-life member of the Norwegian resistance, will appear in person at both screenings. Tickets are $15, available in advance at the box office or online at mspfilmfest.org.
ROB NELSON
THERE'S MORE
Find more coverage of the festival in Friday's Variety or online at www.vita.mn.
