April 9th (2015) User Reviews

A good movie for Danes and foreign war history buffs

[tomcat-350-27521 · 7/10 · 26 March 2016]

The term "War movie" is almost synonymous with Second World War movies. Every nation has a story, down to the smallest individuals, and when there aren't stories, the big story gives great background for fiction. As a result we are doused with WW2 movies. There are good ones, bad ones, boring ones, outright ridiculous ones, and we've seen them all. It is next to impossible to make a really good WW2 movie anymore. Everything that can be told about this war has been told; maybe it can be told again with soldiers of different nationality, different locations, different weapons; but it's really, really difficult to say something that hasn't been told already.

This is why this little movie is marvelous. It actually tells a new story. It's not the meatgrinders of Stalingrad, Omaha Beach, not the death camps, not Dresden burning, not heroes against evil Nazis. It's about the silent, peaceful Denmark which has been overrun in a mere six hours and this was all of the war for them. But how did it happen?

Are a few dozen lives comparable to thousands or millions lost on other battlefronts? What is six hours of "war" to six years? It is easy to dismiss it as nothing, but that's what this movie about. Regardless the short time and negligible losses, it was still war, with young people killing and dying for their country and king. When their comrade fell, it was the same what a Russian, German, British or American soldier felt in a much bigger battle. It is not to be overlooked.

This movie shows us some images from Denmark's family album. Look, this happened to them in 1940. When someone shows you his family album and tells about someone who died in the war, you don't say "Oh, just one of you? Stop whining, our family lost three, so your loss is insignificant." The movie doesn't claim fame. It doesn't say Denmark's disaster was a very big one, or that it's comparable to other events of WW2. It just tells: this happened to us. This is our story. And yes, a kid selling milk actually died on the road that day.

Thank you for this movie, Denmark. We missed your story. Maybe the characters could've been a bit more lively. But again, they are soldiers - what to add to them?

Well done on many levels

[hewilson2-72-796868 · 8/10 · 1 September 2018]

There are many things to like about this film but foremost among them for me is the insight into the experience of the invaded. Here in the U.S., we never faced any real threat of invasion during the second world war. In Europe, it was a sudden and brutal reality for numerous nations. This film captures the emotions of those charged with defending their homeland against the Nazi juggernaut; their bravery and fear in the face of futility. The cinematography, acting and direction are superb. It is difficult to comment on the script in a foreign film but I'll just say the translation and subtitles are well done. For militaria buffs, this is perhaps the best depiction I have seen of bolt action rifle warfare. Very close quarters. No semi-autos to be seen. I am stingy with my ratings but tempted to make this a nine star. This movie is well worth the time spent to watch it. Two thumbs up from me.

Authentic historic drama at platoon level

[niels-jorgen-16624 · 8/10 · 12 March 2015]

An accurate account of some of the skirmishes taking place as German forces crossed into Denmark on 9. April 1940. A sad story about a heavily outnumbered and out-gunned platoon, let down by their politicians and struggling with primitive means to delay the advance of the German army.

The movie successfully conveys the unreal feeling of these soldiers being plummeted into war for unknown reasons and with no proper chance to prepare a defense. Another story about the useless loss of young lives for no good reason. Denmark surrendered after only a few hours, being threatened by German bombers and in no position to give serious resistance. But the few who did fight did so against the worst possible odds, and deserve recognition.

Danish World War II story of the invasion of Denmark

[t-dooley-69-386916 · 7/10 · 28 October 2015]

April 9th was the day the Wehrmacht rolled across the land border and invaded Denmark. The Danish army was only lightly armed, small in number and completely unprepared. They were mobilised but did not want to deploy in defensive positions in case the Germans saw that as a provocation – such was the politics of the day.

The story is told through the experiences of a bicycle company led by Second Lieutenant Sand (Pilou Asbæk of 'A Hijacking') they decide to follow their orders and try to do the impossible of holding back the strongest army in Europe.

Now this is not an epic but they have done a rather good job with most of the period detail and the acting is all really good. There was quite a bit of detail that made this memorable, but there is also a lot of doing things of a more mundane nature – like changing bike tyres etc. That said everything is integral to the story. The action when it comes is also very well done and it has the air of authenticity; if you are a WW II fan then this is one you will not be disappointed in seeing – recommended.

A solid intimate war movie

[mickeythechamp · 7/10 · 28 November 2022]

I was way too harsh when I watched this the first time. I rewatched this, expecting nothing of it since I already had written it off, but this time I got sucked into the narrative and the story. I understood what it wanted to do more this time. It´s not a big war movie but a real and intimate one. The characters felt lackluster the first time I watched it but that's just how the life of a soldier is viewed in this movie. It´s a good and solid war story.

During World War 2, the Danish border is breached by German troops. A Danish bicycle patrol dose their best to defend their country in an impossible attempt.

The standout performance in this movie is Pilou Asbæk as the leader of the patrol we follow. He gives this understated performance where his face carries the role a lot, and as the movie goes on he becomes more and more emotional. The acting from the rest of the cast is sadly hit or miss. One of the young solider does a really good job, while some has some weak delivery. The same can be said about the commanders. In general the acting is fine, but now and again there were some iffy performances.

The camera is also a bit off sometimes. For the most part the handheld style works in a war scenario, but when the characters are just standing still and the camera is handheld it gives of this seasick vibe that is very distracting, and the movie is primarily shot in handheld. Especially in the beginning of the movie a standstill camera would do wonders.

The same can be said about the editing which I noticed. Sometimes it was just too fast or cut to unlogical frames. In general, it´s not that noticeable but a rule of thumb is never to make the audience notice your editing unless you want them to, as it can take you out of the movie.

The movie is nothing special, but I think it didn't try to be. It´s this small-scale war drama with bikes and wooden barricades and not planes and tanks. It ends up being a movement from location to location and not much more, but I was engaged throughout the movie and in the end I was scared for every soldiers life and I cringed every time a close shot was happening.

The characters are as mentioned not really here. They are surfaced leveled soldiers and that's it. It fits this movie well as it´s not really about a person but more the feeling that most have happened that day of the invasion. It´s surreal to think Denmark send bikes to fight armored vehicles, and that's the story this movie wants to tell. Sadly the movie can become a bit too written with them expanding characters and you can smell why a mile away. It´s just not needed in my opinion.

At the end of the movie there are a small part of a longer interview with soldiers of the time. It´s a bit out of place in my opinion and adds absolutely nothing.

So I still want to recognize why I probably didn't like this movie the first time I watched it. It´s far from flawless and has some tendencies I don't like. But I got sucked into the conflict and situation this time. It´s a different more intimate war movie where all hope seems lost without any way to safe anything and the movies runtime is perfect for the intimate movie.

Interesting, nothing more.

[kyliem11 · 6/10 · 17 April 2016]

The true story of the German army invading Denmark on April 9th 1940. The first line of defence is the South Jutland Bicycle Company, their orders are to hold back the might of the German army until reinforcements arrive.

It's a little strange seeing them cycling around with a light machine gun strapped to their crossbar and being ordered to change a bicycle tyre in under 1.5 minutes!

There is no connection between any of the soldiers, most of them don't seem to care one way or another weather they are defeated or not. The acting is quite forced but as a historical account of young men sent to do an impossible job it is quite interesting, although they were badly let down when the Danish government surrendered a few hours in.

Insane, in vain, but necessary

[mogensenf · 6/10 · 9 April 2023]

The Second World War started when Germany attacked Poland September first 1939. April 9th 1940 Germany started the attack on Denmark, especially to get to Norway.

In Denmark near the border to Germany the Danish army was alert. This film follows the Danish bicycle troop (yes, bicycle, which by the way also was a thing in both England and Germany, and other countries). It was all pretty insane, the Germans had 40.000 men attacking, Denmark had 4.000 to defend their country.

Around 4 am the attack began but it doesn't really surprise anyone, that every defence was stopped a few hours later. The problem for this in vain fight, that only happened by the border, was that the Danish that fell, 16 soldiers, fell after the Danish government, a couple of hours before had capitulated. This message didn't get send to the soldiers at the border.

Probably the resistance was necessary, because it showed that the Danes had tried to fight the German army, but of course failed. Perhaps it made the allied troops and countries help the country both before and after the war.

The movie is following the attack and defeat as it happened in 1940, so there's really not much to work on for either director or actors in the sense of extra drama. But as it is with every war movie, it shows the horror that took place. Also it serves as a warning, never to start another war anywhere.

A small masterpiece in Danish Film

[madsole · 9/10 · 2 July 2016]

This movie gives a very honest account of the situation in the morning hours of the 9th of April 1940. The Danish soldiers did their duty despite being in a hopeless situation abandoned by their generals and politicians.

It's a movie made by a Dane for the Danish audience and it captures the way Danish society and the Danish Army was at that time.

I loved it! It's a small piece of Danish history coming to life.

Just a note on some of the other reviews in here. Don't try putting Russian politics into this movie. There is no glorification of any Danish effort during the war here. And it is not looked upon as such in Denmark. Focus on good movies - not the old er new conflicts between East and West. This is not a propaganda movie in any way - maybe you seeing it that way tells more about your view on the world than on the essence of this small masterpiece of Danish filmmaking.

an honest review

[ericnottelling · 5/10 · 23 August 2015]

So I decided to review this movie because there were only 3 listed on the site and non of them were really good. They are all highly rated reviews and yet the movie is rated at like a 6 for a reason.

Let me say that the historical accuracy of the movie is itself interesting. Realizing how unequipped and ill prepared people were against the German army is definitely put into historical context. However that maybe the only thing put into historical context. In some sense the movie is almost a comedy because of this context. Soldiers are referred to by number, they are on their peddle bikes which are considered important military equipment, and a huge part of military training is changing a bike tire. At one point a German commander asks why they have been fighting so long...I think they fought like 12 hours. When you get past this historical context and start looking for the story or the movie you end up walking away with someone that is simply missing. This is no band of brothers. There are no deep connections or personal attachments. Furthermore, any sense of connecting with these soldiers is lacking. There is no sense of defeat, of nationalistic pride or any such emotion you would think would be involved in a war film. The ending is suppose to bring forward a sense of senselessness of their resistance however that is simply missing as well. They are so worried about a physical story they simply left the dialog missing. It was more important to them to show scenes of changing bike tires and the bike unit peddling down the road. There simply was not much meaningful dialog between main characters. I have given this movie a 5/10, which frankly I think is fair. It has some historical accuracy but that isn't why I watch movies. It lacks character development, dialog and simply story. While an interesting movie, other than it's value as a comedy it simply wasn't worth watching.

Small yet very powerful production.great movie.

[koderius · 8/10 · 27 August 2015]

This is my first IMDb review. I thought i'd make an effort - because i think this movie deserves a lot more than the 6.8 score it got.

This is a small budget ,non-bombastic ,non-hollywood movie. YET , it managed to capture the eeriness and horror of the first day of WWII for Danmark in a very vivid and realistic way.

All the actors play very well. The photography is very precise and professional. And the events are based on true stories.

what's not to like ? I think its a must watch for true WWII enthusiasts- who'd like to get a new perspective on the northern European theatre of war.

Danish war movie that lasted more than the Danish army resistance

[Nestor-uber-alles · 4/10 · 8 May 2021]

No depth in characters,no character building. Accurate WWII equipment. However,the scenario is so flat like Danish landscape.

Personally it is an insult to war itself to film a movie for the 6 hour resistance of Danish army.

Engrossing

[keikoyoshikawa · 9/10 · 25 October 2019]

As other reviewers have said here, this movie deserves more than a 6+ rating.

As a war movie, it is fantastic in its depiction of the events in one of the shortest invasions in WW2. Good acting and generally good attention to details (equipment, uniforms, tactics, etc.), in addition to a taut, gripping narrative makes it an engaging historical drama.

The strengths of the movie lie in part on its focus on just one small unit and a couple of related engagements over a period of a few hours, instead of trying to tell a wider story that would have distracted and detracted from the experience.

If there is a weakness, it is that there was very little time for the audience to really get to care about the main characters. Perhaps just a few minutes spent on their backgrounds would have been worthwhile.

I would like to highlight the last scene at the end (NO SPOILER). For those who are familiar with the history of WW2, it brings on goosebumps knowing what is about to happen to the Jews in Europe. Fortunately, most of the Jewish population in Denmark were saved, thanks in large part to the Danish resistance and the Swedish government.

If you are looking for a bloody war movie, this is not it. But if you are looking for a brief glimpse into how men react when faced with impossible odds, then April 9th will not disappoint.

Ridiculous

[Jathosn · 2/10 · 5 January 2022]

The first half hour or so was pretty decent and seemed relatively accurate. However, pushing forward into open terrain (on bikes nonetheless)in an attempt to stop advancing German regiments consisting of armored vehicles, vastly superior firearms, tanks, all while being vastly outnumbered, and seeing all but 1 person make it out alive after their Lieutenant gave the order to open fire.

In an instant, the movie goes from being an interesting war movie to a comedy. I couldn't force myself to continue watching past this point.

Fantastic War Movie about a War that I never Knew Existed!

[toddmodem · 9/10 · 22 August 2015]

I have to say that I'm very impressed with this movie. I had always assumed that the Danes were German sympathizers and did not put up an effective response to the German Invasion. This is definitely not so! Our little Bicycle platoon of Brave Danish Warriors, definitely gave the Huns a run for their money.

In the movie, the Machine gunners are instructed to target the armored vehicles. I really couldn't understand why until I read this...

"The German high command tried to present the attack on Denmark as a peaceful invasion in an attempt to score propaganda points, so German losses were never released. They succeeded in this, and most of the world believed Denmark did not put up any resistance against the invasion.[37]

However, in 2005, the archives of the Danish weapons manufacturer DISA ('Danish Industrial Syndicate') were opened. DISA produced the Danish 20 mm cannon that took out (relatively) many German vehicles. The Germans were naturally very interested in this weapon and had forced the syndicate to export them to Germany. And in selling them to the German army, they got their best argument from the Germans themselves: they told the company that 203 soldiers had been killed or wounded by the guns in Jutland.[38]"

Ridiculous

[michaelstath · 3/10 · 27 July 2020]

This movie might actually last longer than the real resistance from the danish nation against the Nazi invasion did.

A must-see war drama

[sverrehu · 8/10 · 22 February 2020]

I know a little about April 9th 1940 and the following days in Norway, since I am a Norwegian. But I knew little about what happened in our sister country in the south. We both suffered from ignorant governments that refused to see the reality, even when thrown in their eyes. The Norwegian government managed to flee to England. The Danish did not. This movie is about the average person, serving as a solider, who is drawn into a war before the government realizes there is a war. This movie is about soldiers fighting, without knowing that they have already lost. And this is one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. The story-telling, the acting, the filming, ... If you like historical war movies, this is a must-see.

Not the best

[Blumanowar · 4/10 · 28 June 2022]

To much time watching things like watching change a tire and writing a letter just two of many scenes that were wasted fil and took over a minute to watch... please. Just filling time on an 80 min movie? Poor directing and editing. And the futility of the Denmark soldiers is pitiful I'm not sure why you'd do a movie about such a helpless cause. It's frustrating to see how inept they were. That gift should be given hell in the history books for such unpreparedness and cowardice.

Excellent film.

[nygaardcurtis · 9/10 · 23 December 2017]

I am an Englishman who lives in Denmark with a great interest in military history generally. This film captures extremely well the first 6 hours of the German invasion. I found it accurate, well made and well acted. A simple, straightforward story well told.

The Danes surrendered after 6 hours.The Germans lost 101 men killed or wounded. The Danes lost 26 killed and 23 wounded. The Danes didn't have a chance. It is true that, during the war, the Germans recruited SS units from Denmark, these were chiefly from Southern Jutland which had been a part of Germany from 1864 until 1920 and had extremely strong German family connections and Germanic culture.

Well, at least it was short

[armstrc · 3/10 · 13 May 2019]

The topic was dumb, but the movie was well done. It was too short to let the characters develop and the whole time I was thinking why a country would have any kind of a military if it could not protect themselves from the country most likely to invade. It made Denmark look impotent. American farmers have more firepower today than Denmark had then. But, the scenery was nice and they painted the bikes a pretty color. The town at the end reminded me of legoland. How sad to have to fight for a country that doesn't even tell you that they surrendered.

A realistic film of Denmark over run by Germany in a day

[tom-seattle · 9/10 · 31 January 2019]

I don't get the so-so reviews. We found this an excellent portrayal of what actually happened, not the excitement of a Pearl Harbor or D-Day Landing. The Danes were so outgunned. Fighting tanks on bicycles?!

Watch this a get a feel for what it meant to be a country that's just a stepping stone for Germany to gain Norway.

Clearly made on a tight budget but well-crafted and acted. If it gets boring, uh, guess what a day of war is like...

Promising start with a boring story

[viliporkola · 3/10 · 22 April 2019]

The movie seemed interesting to start watching in the start but i got bored until the 1/3 of the movie, watched still to the end to know about Denmarks history a bit.

A great war movie

[silviuaganghel · 10/10 · 10 August 2015]

This is one of the best war movies I have ever seen. The film follows a small group of Danish soldiers thrown unexpectedly into the meat grinder to try and slow the German advance. The movie never falls for exaggerated heroism, nor for the ubiquitous pacifism one finds in most war movies. With the patience of a historian it purports to present the experiences of a small number of Danish soldiers in the early hours of April the 9th, 1940. The film is a thorough anatomy of what happens with soldiers under fire. It focuses on the soldier's training, equipment, leadership and so on. Many aspects of world war two, which we know from memoirs or journals, are present in the movie, even the adverse psychological effect of seeing huge numbers of enemy planes. Other reviewers address the pitiful state of the Danish army in this movie. This is just wrong. The movie presents an army which is well trained, well equipped, well led, well motivated and which knew the terrain of battle extremely well. They were however heavily outnumbered and out-gunned. A great war movie.

Down to earth war film

[eatpajdittsvin-520-811150 · 5/10 · 17 September 2019]

The first third of the movie is the best in my opinion. After that, there are some scenes that could be perceived as filler (probably contributing are fairly anonymous characters). If you're on Netflix you can simply watch the first third and quit if bored, so nothing lost there.

I still like the movie on the whole as a reminder that Denmark had its soldiers doing their best, and they did suffer casualties, despite the government (logically) surrendering in quick order. This movie does help to raise the question, could the surrender have been orchestrated more effectively as to save lives? If you're going to fight on war, you better give your soldiers the means to stand a chance.

Futile Heroism Lovingly Recreated

[simonjashford · 10/10 · 21 May 2016]

This film is not a cultural masterpiece; it is, however, an excellent piece of "documentary" history. The title refers to the defence of Denmark against the aggression of the Third Reich in 1940. This invasion was something of a "by the way" action, on the way to the invasion of Norway. The Wehrmacht crossed the border at 0415 and the Danish Government capitulated about 0600. Prior to the invasion the danish authorities had restricted military action to avoid allegations of provocation. The film starts with a group of danish troops returning to barracks from leave, we then see the humdrum of training exercises(changing the tyres on their bikes!). The film then ramps up to the alert and deployment of the troops in the early hours. It follows the initial actions of a bicycle engaging the invaders then falling back,and through to their final actions and eventual capture. I suspect that many people (outside Denmark) are unaware that there was any combat there. I was aware, and had done some limited research on the events. Overall I believe this to be an excellent piece of reconstructional cinema (OK there are apparently a couple of anachronisms which I had not noticed) but I believe the accuracy to be superb. I noticed a shot in the film which appeared to reflect an historic photo. Having compared a screen capture from the film with the photo I can only describe it as a "loving recreation" which term, I think sums the film up fully. If you are interested in the Second World War then you should view it.

Decent War Film

[WillInDenmark · 5/10 · 11 April 2023]

"9. April" is a Danish war film directed by Roni Ezra and written by Tobias Lindholm. The movie, released in Denmark in 2015, tells the story of the German invasion of Denmark on April 9, 1940, and follows a group of Danish bicycle soldiers who fought against the German army for two hours, unaware of the Danish surrender. The film is based on real events, and its cast includes Pilou Asbæk, Lars Mikkelsen, Ari Alexander, Martin Greis, Gustav Dyekjær Giese, Morten Hauch-Fausbøll, and Jannik Lorenzen.

The film has a budget of 22 million DKK, supported by the Danish Film Institute's Market Scheme, TV 2, and Haderslev Municipality. The film's script is based on eyewitness accounts and interviews with surviving veterans who were present during the invasion. The director, Roni Ezra, was trained at the alternative film school Super16, and the film is his second feature film.

While the story is interesting and inspiring, the movie itself is just okay, with nothing exceptional standing out in terms of acting or cinematography. The film is worth a watch and an enjoyable telling of the story, but it does not offer anything exceptional.

Overall, "9. April" is a decent war film that offers an inspiring and tragic story of Danish soldiers fighting against overwhelming odds.