For years, the television drama Band of Brothers has set the benchmark for war-themed productions. Created by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, the series is widely regarded as the gold standard of the genre, having raised the bar enormously for war epics. Now, another war drama is being hailed as a 'phenomenal masterpiece' — and it could well surpass Band of Brothers.
What Is War Sailor?
Streaming on Netflix, this little-known war drama limited series consists of three episodes, each roughly an hour long. The show has garnered universal acclaim. War Sailor, originally titled Krigsseileren, is a Norwegian war drama that was selected as Norway's official entry for Best International Feature at the 95th Academy Awards. Viewers simply cannot stop singing its praises, reports Wales Online.
It originally launched as a film in the latter half of 2022, and when it arrived on Netflix in April 2023, it was presented as a three-part miniseries with 30 minutes added to its original runtime. Written and directed by Gunnar Vikene, it is the most expensive Norwegian film ever produced, made on a budget of $11.1 million.
Cast and Plot
The drama stars Kristoffer Joner and Pål Sverre Hagen in the lead roles, alongside Ine Marie Wilmann, Henrikke Lund Olsen, Armand Hannestad, and Leon Tobias Slettbakk. The war drama draws on the true, real-life stories of 30,000 Norwegian civilian sailors who served as part of the Allied convoys during the Second World War. The official plot states: 'Merchant sailors are caught in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean during Germany's invasion of Norway and hijacked into working for the Allied war effort.'
Critical Acclaim
With an impressive 92% audience approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, War Sailor has been described as 'heart-in-your-throat moving' by audiences. An IMDb user review says: 'One of the best war movies I've seen. I thought I'd seen so many war and catastrophe movies I'd become numb to the emotional drama and could only be stimulated by history lessons and battlefield action, but this one gripped me.'
Another viewer said: 'Intense but phenomenal. It's difficult to sum up the experience of watching this film. It weaves suspense, devastation, love, hope, and the horrors of war together into a picture that will stay with me for a long time to come.'
A third review added: 'Brilliantly written, directed and acted, this is a gripping, at times excruciating, film. The characters are beautifully, painfully individual, the story unexpected and painfully convincing. It takes us inside the actions of war, but the unforgettable moments are the still ones in which nothing happens but meaning.'
One viewer dubbed it 'a masterpiece': 'Wow — what an intense film. Excellent acting and period sets. A masterpiece.' Yet another said: 'A sweeping epic. Structured like a sweeping epic, Krigsseileren tells about the efforts of Norwegian commercial sailors in the Atlantic theatre during WWII. A combination of authenticity, technical brilliance, and a clear artistic framework makes this into an all-encompassing viewing experience.'
A fan claimed the drama 'transcends the ordinary': 'Something extraordinary finds its way to our screens. Just when we thought nothing of quality is left, nothing worth our time, War Sailor shows up on Netflix. As real a depiction of events which shaped our world as you are likely to see. Transportation to another place and time at a historic moment, for the price of your Netflix subscription. Empowering performances that transcend the ordinary. Highly recommended.'
Critics' Verdict
Critics labelled the war drama 'powerful and engrossing', with one reviewer commenting: 'War Sailor is the best kind of war movie: a character drama that happens amidst war, focusing most on how the characters are changed by the atrocities over the years.' Another critic said: 'War Sailor offers some of the best ensemble acting seen in recent years. It's been perfectly cast down to the smallest role.'
War Sailor is available to stream on Netflix.
