A little-known war film has been quietly receiving glowing reviews, but fans say it deserves more recognition. Narvik is a Norwegian historical film depicting the Battles of Narvik from April 9 to June 8, 1940.
Directed by Erik Skjoldbjærg and made by Nordisk Film, it stars Kristine Hartgen, Carl Martin Eggesbø, Cristoph Gelfert Mathiesen and Henrik Mestad. The film premiered in Norway in December 2022 and was released worldwide on Netflix in January 2023.
The film’s synopsis reads: “In April 1940, the eyes of the world are on Narvik, a small town in northern Norway, a source of the iron ore needed for Hitler’s war machine. Through two months of fierce winter warfare, the German leader is dealt his first defeat.”
Narvik has a rare 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with one critic calling it “stunning”.
Another critic wrote: “Narvik is a thrilling, crowd-pleasing war picture. It deserves all the love that All Quiet on the Western Front has gotten and then some.”
An audience reviewer said: “Difficult to fault. There should be so many more WWII movies from the perspective of other countries.”
Another expressed: “Excellent story, great movie. One of the finest Euro WWII movies made. The love story was superb as well.”
A third said the film was “exceptional”, while a fourth said it was “one of the best war movies I’ve watched! Amazing”.
“From the moment I first set eyes on Narvik, I was immediately swept up in a world where every decision feels like a life-or-death dilemma. The setting itself holds an almost tangible power, and I found myself captivated by how the film underscores the strategic and emotional importance of this snowy Norwegian town. The characters, introduced with palpable tension, evolve so naturally that I was left constantly second-guessing who might break—and why—in the face of the encroaching Nazi force,” added a Google reviewer.
On a Reddit thread titled “Good war movies on Netflix”, one user highlighted the film Narvik. They said: “Oh my gosh, NARVIK. So good. SO underrated. Sad I don’t hear people talk about this more!”
Narvik is available to stream now on Netflix.