Max Manus

Nazi-resistance intrigue is a rather routine go-to dish these days (see The Army of Crime), and this big-budget historical epic about Norway’s dashing, heroic WWII insurgent (Hennie) won’t counter that opinion one bit. Shot in a snazzy Ridley Scott--ish style—handsome people, sweeping vistas—Joachim Roenning and Espen Sandberg’s biopic says little about Manus himself; the directors are content to recycle superficial characterizations and good-versus-evil dynamics in lieu of depth. Despite the subtitles, it’s basically a slice of formulaic Hollywood-style mythmaking, writ large and woefully empty.—Nick Schager

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