'The Artic Convoy' Reviews: Film "succeeds in sharing another little-known true story from the many still yet to be told from World War II"

Photo courtesy of Magnet Releasing

        On July 26, Magnet Releasing released ‘The Artic Convoy’, which has earned rave reviews, currently holding at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. In the film, which is set in 1942, a convoy transporting supplies to a Norwegian outpost takes a dangerous route despite misgivings by it’s military escort. Can they survive the element and German forces? The ensemble cast includes Tobias Santelmann, Anders Baasmo, Adam Lundgren, Jakob Fort, and Fredrik Stenberg Ditlev-Simonsen. Read the full review round-up below.

        Dennis Harvey of Variety praises the film, stating, “It’s a watchable if rather pedestrian exercise that could’ve used a more assertive directorial style, among other factors. By default, a major point of interest becomes the grubby interiors and dated technology of the ship itself, reportedly “played” by a preserved 1911 coal hauler that did tours of duty in both world wars. Otherwise, “The Arctic Convoy” is well-enough crafted on all levels to hold interest and maintain reasonable credibility, if not to make any distinctive impression. It isn’t sufficiently stirring to risk comparison with the prestige war films of recent years (like “Lone Survivor” or “All Quiet on the Western Front”), or so lively that it can recall scrapper B movies in that genre of decades past, like those of Sam Fuller’s. Anyone expecting more in the vein of the “Wave” trilogy’s vicarious thrills will definitely not find it here. Instead, they’ll get an intriguing historical back chapter fictionalized in a way that provides OK entertainment, albeit minus the full gravity or excitement that chapter surely deserves.”

         Keith Garlington of Keith & the Movies says, “The Arctic Convoy” succeeds in sharing another little-known true story from the many still yet to be told from World War II. Strong performances and a character-driven focus adds some unexpected layers to this riveting, edge-of-your-seat nautical drama.”

Mark Dujsik of Mark Reviews Movies notes, “There are some other characters of note here—mainly Swedish gunner Johan (Adam Lundgren) and his young assistant Sigurd (Jon Ranes), who gradually form a fraternal bond that means more to each one than the other knows. They provide a sense of the personal stakes of this story, as planes strafe the deck and the climax revolves around one choice, in which either option could mean certain destruction and death. The film succeeds because of that focus on the human drama. The importance of the mission in The Arctic Convoy is apparent from the start and even clearer by the finale, but the story ensures that we have a firm understanding of the people caught in the middle of such a risky but necessary undertaking.”

Roger Moore of Movie Nation says, “Fans of combat films will find this cinematic comfort food pretty satifying, no matter how unappetizing that herring looks on the galley's plates at meal time.” Concluding, “There have been decades of versions of this sort of story for filmgoers to appreciate, most of them concentrated during and in the decade or so after the war ended. The recent “Greyhound” showed the murderous cat-and-mouse destroyer vs. U-Boats view of the Battle of the Atlantic. “Arctic” is the second Norwegian film to focus on conquered and occupied Norway’s greatest contribution to the war effort, following Netflix’s excellent three-part series “War Sailor.”