Operation Napoleon (2023) User Reviews

Icelandic movie

[heiddal-56179 · 5/10 · 9 February 2023]

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.

Fans Of Mysteries And International Intrigue Will Enjoy; Screenplay A Mixed Bag

[rannynm · 7/10 · 2 August 2023]

Operation Napoleon is a great film for fans of mysteries and international intrigue. Its interesting plot shines, thanks to stellar cinematography and despite a rough screenplay and sometimes wooden performances from the cast.

Operation Napoleon follows Icelandic lawyer Kristín (Vivian Ólafsdóttir), who is drawn into an international conspiracy and falsely implicated in a murder after her brother finds a Nazi plane atop the Vatnajokull Glacier. Now she must unravel the history behind the conspiracy, codenamed Operation Napoleon by the CIA, and escape U. S. agents tracking her down.

As with many Nordic films, the style of acting in Operation Napoleon is very understated. This does not do the film too many favors when it comes to scenes of life and death, in which the characters struggle to emote and to immerse the viewers in each scene. The editing and cinematography are highlights - sets are believable; the color correction is consistently cold (to do justice to Icelandic winters); and everything looks great. The film doesn't slow down to breathe too frequently, which helps keep the momentum of the action going. But the screenplay is a mixed bag; the script doesn't provide enough detail behind many characters' goals and ambitions, and the story waits until the end to explain the real motive behind Operation Napoleon, in a relatively awkward way. Iain Glen, who plays William Carr, and Olafur Darri, who plays Einar, are the best actors of the lot. Ólafsdóttir and her male lead counterpart Jack Fox (who plays researcher Steve Rush) both come across as one-note characters. Still, the premise of the film is interesting enough to keep you watching.

Operation Napoleon promotes honor and the pursuit of truth.

I give Operation Napoleon 3.5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18, plus adults. Operation Napoleon releases in theaters and on demand on August 11, 2023. By Eshaan M., KIDS FIRST!

Scary, good suspense, and a little humor thrown in

[evening1 · 5/10 · 31 August 2023]

I'm an unusual demographic for this film - I chose to watch it on Amazon Prime because I wanted to see Iceland and hear its ancient language, which I've been trying to learn.

A busy schedule meant I had to order "Operation" a second time, and, when I did, it disappointingly came up dubbed, which didn't suit my purposes at all. So I couldn't see it through to its conclusion. But what I did see, I liked.

The saga begins on Vatnajökull, that enormous glacier claiming eight percent of Iceland's territory. The movie takes us by surprise from the start, particularly with Adesuwa Oni as a seemingly stereotypical, bubbly American till her true character jumps out.

The movie's early sequences aren't exactly plausible. It's intriguing that some snowmobilers stumble upon a Nazi aircraft unearthed by global warming. But how likely is it that sportsmen are gonna drop everything to dig a plane out of rock-solid ice? Or that a team of US-government snipers is gonna touch down to shoot at everyone in sight? I thought Iceland had sovereignty!

Next we're on to the streets of Reykjavik, which I so enjoy visiting each winter (at least till COVID stalled my adventures). Vivian Olafsdottir is wonderful as a lawyer who gets sucked into the mysterious cabal, and I enjoyed watching her efforts to elude an armed goon. One place she darts into is glittery Kringlan mall, a place I like to go to as well.

That's about where I stopped watching. I was intrigued enough by what I saw that I'll try the film a third time, and, ideally, hear Icelandic again. It strikes me as an archaic version of English, and I like trying to understand even the smallest bits of conversation. (English subtitles are indispensible, but I'd love access to the Icelandic ones as well.)

By the way, Vivian's brother in this film evinces a delightful sense of humor. Love that message on his voicemail, something like, "Don't leave a message. Put it on a floppy, and send it through the mail."

Yep, Iceland's elemental geography takes us back to Mother Nature and the essentials in life. Can't wait to make it back to the Land of Fire and Ice...

Actually for the big screen

[Funkenspalter · 7/10 · 30 August 2023]

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.

A decent conspiracy movie, but it could have been better

[jackysh-64896 · 6/10 · 4 February 2023]

I went to the theatre with pretty high hopes. With the trailer being interesting and me being a sucker for conspiracy movies. But as i left the theatre i was kind of split on what i thought. On one hand it was a well edited and filmed movie with good set pieces. And on the other hand the acting is often suppar, the protagonists motivation often doesint feel the same as they try and present it. And the antagonist could also have been better written and more intimidating.

But for me what put me the most off, was what Operation Napoleon actually was.

The movie clearly shows that whatever is on that nazi plane that crashed in vatnajökull is top tier secretive and anyone who even lays eyes on it without permission must be killed. This is showed throughout the entire movie. So eventually at the end of the movie when it's revealed what Operation Napoleon was. I was kind of disappointed. Not just in what it actually was but in how it was presented. In most conspiracy/mystery stories, the mystery is slowly revealed over time. But here its like we get to know who was involved in this operation and thats it. Until the end, where its all slam-dunked onto the viewers. What i would have found to make it better. If they simply increased the stake at the beginning when they find the plane. For example that one of the dead people being in that plane being... what the whole reason Operation Napoleon was. Then we'd also get more insight into this and we would also understand more to why its so secretive.

And also with what Operation Napoleon was. If this was real, america could have spun this so easily on everyones head like they have done before with these kind of things.

The truth ... will set you free(?)

[kosmasp · 7/10 · 2 November 2023]

No pun intended - and I reckon the movie some conspiracy theorists will love a lot. Though as with many other things, they will get the wrong message and also their comparison will be wrong - the mind set and all that. But let's not delve into that rabbit hole - no winning there ... to get tired of.

Pun aside once again: the movie sets off nicely. We get to see something uncovered (I won't tell, so you can experience that for yourself) ... and what unfolds after that is quite something. Sometimes knowing the truth - knowing more than someone in power wants you to know ... is not the best thing. But again, do not draw the wrong conclusions with reality ... no reptile governments and all that - not that the movie is suggesting that ... just saying.

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

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 1 April 2024]

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.

Disappointment

[kjartandofri · 2/10 · 7 February 2023]

This is a perfect example of how you completely fail at adapting a book into a movie. The only thing this film has in common with the book is its title.

The story, characters names; their backstory, age and even gender are different from the book in every way. I wonder how the book's author could have possibly greenlit this script. The result is a paper thin film, a typical cliché which brings nothing original or fresh to this genre of "made for Hollywood" film market.

The characters drive, ambitions and goals are never solidified in any believable way. Heck they're barely introduced to the viewer by name half of the time.

Just to top it all, the "plot" behind the movie is hastily explained after everything has transpired, followed by the lame "two weeks later" on a black screen. The tone of the film weirdly changes to an Indiana Jones movie, completely contradicting the vague character building we have been objected to throughout the film.

The ending then gives a hint at a sequel which is funny considering there is only one book. But hey, why not, the book has already been established as a mere formality at this point.

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

[whitetowel-74786 · 4/10 · 28 August 2023]

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.

Extremely enjoyable

[dichav · 8/10 · 12 November 2023]

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.

Really wanted to like it but Nope

[kailapiazza · 3/10 · 25 September 2023]

I I really wanted to enjoy this movie, especially since Iain Glenn was in it!

The first 10 minutes were great and then the lady with the purple beanie showed up on the snow and I have to say the acting was horrendous pretty much from there on out with a few exceptions. Iain acting was great along with a few other individuals in the movie however, the overall plot was a little choppy and slow. Especially in the scene where the girl was hiding from the guy in the Ralph Lauren store and you can see her crouching down next to a sweatshirt, rack, hiding and then the next scene the register was right behind her, which makes no sense. Like No one in the store wondered why this girl was stealing a sweatshirt and hiding at the rack directly in eye sight of the register. Its little things like that that make me wonder who is directing the movie itself and why they didn't notice the error. I tried to fast forward some parts, but in the end, I just couldn't finish it.

Wannabe old-school conspiracy thriller that fails miserably thru a woeful plotting & clichés

[danieljfarthing · 2/10 · 7 March 2024]

Iceland's dire "Operation Napoleon" aims to be an old-school conspiracy thriller rooted to an intriguing WWII story... but it's destroyed by SO MANY cheesie implausabilities in Marteinn Thorisson's screenplay & cliché moments from Director Óskar Thór Axelsson. A jet-skier discovering an old Nazi plane on a remote melting glacier sends pics to his lawyer sis Vivian Ólafsdóttir, putting her in the same mortal danger he's in from Iain Glen's sinister (but btw incompetent) CIA goons. With Brit Jack Fox, Ólafsdóttir goes on the run to fight back via characters like Ólafur Darri Ólafsson & Annette Badland. - but it is all just so dumb & cringe-worthy. Flush it.

If you love clive cussler books you'll love it...

[robertdziekonski · 9/10 · 4 October 2023]

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.

Overcoming Cliches

[ucgordon · 9/10 · 17 September 2023]

This is a solid thriller with a very appealing cast (including 3 very good villains, which for me means high marks); it needs subtitles because at least some of the dialogue is in Icelandic). The scenery in Iceland is terrific with excellent cinematography. The action moves along nicely.

The only problem, which requires the usual willing suspension of disbelief, is that it revolves around some of the hoariest thriller clichés, almost as if the director had some kind of checklist and he needed to mark them all off (and tells me that perhaps I have seen too many movies), although the ending makes me wonder if all of that was a deliberate homage to thrillers.

In any case, it is executed nicely, and is certainly worth watching.

Entertaining and well-paced throughout ... never read the book

[jeffkresse-814-345969 · 8/10 · 18 August 2023]

Taken by itself and without knowledge of the book this was a pretty good film. There is continuous action and plot development through to the end so it definitely keeps your interest. Having read a bunch of poor reviews I kept looking for big deficits in the movie but they just were not there. I understand how a movie can be very different from the book original and the disappointment which results, but this movie has me looking into the authors books now whereas I would otherwise have not been exposed. The Nazi story line works well and there is plenty of historical fact to support it, e.g. Operation Paperclip, so the secret allied collaboration to help Hitler escape to South America is not implausible.

I recommend this as solid entertainment worthy of your time.

$7M USD has been spent for this awesome movie!!!

[REDLINE0007 · 9/10 · 21 February 2024]

Can you imagine in this movie they have used a real helicopter and not just once but few times and their budget wasnt 200 million dollars. I stumbled upon this gewel by accident. Operation Napoleon got good acting, some action and wonderful story. I am pleasantly surprised nonetheless. If you like stories of Indiana Jones I highly recommend you to watch it.

I feel as if lately Hollywood doesn't come up with good shows. We may get 1 or two gems annually in best case scenario. But yea we have Creator and Oppenheimer movies in 2023. Of course Operation Napoleon isn't by any means contender for Oscar nominations but that's too bad. Operation Napoleon is a great show you must see.