User reviews

This was surprisingly good! Seeing it was coming, I was like "Right, another movie that's only there to one-dimensionally worship a Norwegian war hero, so that we can feel like the good guys."

Well, for one thing, it's kind of hard to avoid with Sønsteby, as the facts show he _was_ a hero in a lot of ways. And yet he gets thoroughly challenged in the present-day part of the narrative. This provides important nuance. The Resistance reportedly killed 82 of their own countrymen. Maybe it's naive to think there was a good (enough) reason in each case.

This movie has at least 3 things going for it: First of all, suspenseful pacing - you're not bored for a second.

Second of all, the lead actors, especially for young Sønsteby. Sjur Vatne Brean. What a talent, and what perfect casting! It's ironic, because Sønsteby survived partly by being inconspicuous and in control of his emotions. However, that wouldn't work on the big screen. Brean is good-looking and charismatic, and an actor can't be stone-faced.

He is still very believable as a man of integrity and authority, while his face shows the toll it all takes on him.

You'd be forgiven for wondering if he ever considered dropping the sixpence - in the movie universe, all the Nazis really had to do was look for the only guy who wears a sixpence all the damn time! Inside and outside, in cafés, offices... In real life it was commonwear; in the movie I don't remember seeing anyone else wearing one!

Again, though, in a movie you have to establish the lead character. The silhouette with the sixpence is iconic. His trademark. If not every Norwegian instantly recognized it before this movie, they will now. And who knows, maybe it will become a symbol of resistance, freedom, and democracy again, in the times we might have ahead.

Third of all, the movie is smartly plotted, with a nice twist that ties back to the beginning, while at the same time touching on the movie's central theme. This sets it apart from the typical biopic or war movie.

It's nice to have someone and something to believe in, especially in our uneasy times. This movie reminded me of that. And the hero doesn't need to be perfect for that, just believable in his qualities.

Another in a long line of movies about Resistance groups, and yes even Nazis have wives and children who love them, but the question posed by the young student has an easy answer: go talk to somebody who experienced the holocaust from the inside. Sadly the folks who need to see this movie, and ask themselves these questions, won't. The French, Norwegians, Danes, and Low Country citizens were entirely justified in their judgements and actions-and yes, so were the Russians. The real issue confronting the students, and the viewers of this movie, is: what side are you on, and what are you going to do if confronted by the kind of crisis that overwhelmed poor Norway? There's plenty of evidence that there were indeed many captive occupied people, and many "good Germans," who chose to keep their heads down. Fortunately, there are always a few of extraordinary courage and moral certainty. We just have to hope they're around when you need them.

Nice movie with a flair of documentary. >90% of the content is a movie but a minority of the time there is a very nice interplay with the real man who is represented in the movie. It makes it very very personal and you see the seriousness of war and having been in the Norwegian resistance. It is very nicely written up and the story is solid and filmography is good. The only thing I missed is how the person went to London from occupied Norway. That has been left out at one of the most exiting part of the movie. It left the story a bit incomplete although it would not have added anything to the messsge of freedom which seemed to be paramount to the makers of the movie.

I have to admit, I'm not usually a big fan of Scandinavian movies. But when I saw Number 24 on Netflix today, I thought, "Why not give it a try?" I'm so glad I did!

The movie exceeded my expectations with its sharp dialogues, well-developed characters, and a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack. It felt like every detail was perfectly crafted.

As someone from Southern Europe, I don't know much about World War II in Scandinavia, but this film offered a fresh perspective. The cinematography was stunning, and the storytelling was so engaging.

It's a must-watch! I'd give it a solid 9/10. Bravo to the creators!

Norway's biggest national war hero Gunnar Sønsteby was a publicly well known person. He spent much of his life after the war being public and talking about the war and the resistance until the very end. There were many who got to know the man who during the war had many identities, and several double lives, where he a a young economics apprentice saw the occupation happen in 1940.

Nr.24 has become a different film than many expected, and those who have stated that Norwegian war films are only one-sided hero worship have with "Quisling: The Fainal Days" and now "Nr. 24" gotten films that can no longer be put in that category of hero war films.

One could suspect in advance that the director John Andreas Andersen, after successes with disaster films ("The wquake", The North sea"), was not teh man for this, but he was! The former cinematographer has a photographic CV in Norwegian film that shows that he has been involved in most genres, and also has one of Norwegian film's biggest foreign successes, Headhunters, in his CV belt.

Filmed on locations in Rjukan the historical locations have been found, while Kaunas and Vilnius give the illusion of the war-Oslo that no longer exists.

No. 24 is more a film about Gunnar "Kjakan" Sønsteby as a person than about the war, it's close and important history, At the same time the film is also more than war history, but more a warning about what war is and what things we have to fight for than a pure storytelling. It is done in such a way that it is - unfortunately - eternally relevant.

Therefore, the older Kjakan, brilliantly played by Erik Hivju, also begins by telling the youth who met at Vemork. Even then we understand this is going to different. Hivju (father of Kristofer) has studied Kjakan, and both he and the film team have been helped by Gunnar's long-time assistant Petter Ringen Johansen. Here, people have gone all the way behind closed doors.

When it is emphasized so early in the film, we realize that the older Gunnar is just as much the lead role as the younger one. Perhaps even the importance of the film's message is carried significantly more than through the younger Kjakan, where Sjur Vatne Brean is possibly as good a choice as Hivju in the role of the older one. But Brean does av wonderful job as well.

The film alternates seamlessly between the war and the recent past where the then probably around 90-year-old Sønsteby still spent time talking about why we must fight for freedom and democracy.

Dramaturgical measures have been taken. Film is never "completely true" Not No. 24 either. Kjakan did not live where it was filmed, Kjakan's mother was not the one who cried uncontrollably, and Solheim was not at home when they arrived from Oslo. Karl Martinsen and the driver were not shot in Villaveien in Rjukan. But the narrative tricks work.

So does the tiny comic reliefs, where the biggest one is none other than Terje Strømdahl as an elderly drunk man who scolds the guard boys in the Oslo gang for hanging and doing nothing to throw the Nazis out of the country. No one could do that scene better and it feels real and totally believable.

The opening scene with the 19-year-old Gunnar skiing up the top on Mount Gausta in 1937, the year he graduated from upper secondary school in Rjukan, with his friend through childhood and youth Erling Solheim, we do not at first understand how important it is.

It is a very effective narrative move, which not only shows Gunnar as an outdoor enthusiast and brings Gaustatoppen to the pleasure of travel, but it also puts Gunnar's political awareness into perspective. When, three years later, as an apprentice accountant in Oslo, he experiences the outbreak of war, it is so strong that he is unable to concentrate on his job. The story that follows is familiar.

Gunnar is slowly but surely becoming a spider in the resistance movement, in the "Oslo Gang" with the code name Nr. 24, where he does not sleep two nights in the same place, and gets up at half past four in the morning because he knows that the Germans tend to show up between four and six when they make their arrests. With his inescapable demeanor, the man on the bicycle becomes someone who constantly avoids the iron claws of the Germans, even though they know who they are after.

The film clocks in at 111 minutes, and is thus shorter than most films these days. At the same time, the film is just the right length. The film manages exactly what it sets out to do. Because the film makes moves that are emotional that press on the tear ducts, between the beats where tension drives the film forward. That the climax takes place at Vemork is, however, very unexpected, but an all the better move.

The film has a young cast, which largely consists of young up-and-coming Norwegian actors, such as Nicolai Cleve Broch's 18-year-old son Jørgen makes his Norwegian feature film debut as Knut Haugland. It almost feels like a sequel could be in the works.

The music works, also the songs that have been brought in, the effects are there, but the trailer should get a new version before it is launched abroad.

In a review like this, I can't write too much about the turning point without giving away too much of the plot, but the fact that it's a very successful move, which also gives this film much more than passive storytelling, is also the reason why this works so well . It is also the reason why a fairly well-known story after various books manages to surprise. Screenwriter Erlend Loe has - not unexpectedly - found the essence in good script work.

At the same time, it is completely in line with the war hero's own message, seen in the light of the increasingly tense situation we are experiencing around Europe today. Is it relevant? Certainly it is relevant. It is as the pensive older Gunnar says early in the film while we see the younger "we thought we were living in the post-war period, but it would soon turn out that we were living in the in-between-war period".

For some, Gunnar Sønsteby was a controversial figure, and some have questioned whether he was really a hero. And now all new films about the war are met with objections and objections that "we have enough about the war now". This film is proof that we haven't.

That the film both opens with Gunnar's five drawers in his head, and that in the film he also appears as someone who does not always tell the truth. But then he couldn't during the war. His daughters have also stated after the premiere that the film is fantastic and completely in line with how Gunnar was.

I thinks it is a really good and well-made film and a good portrait of a man whom many knew.

The man who has both become an honorary citizen of Tinn and Oslo has finally got his film, and it is a film that should stand as a monument in Norwegian film history itself in a film year where quality films are lined up. This rages among the best war movies ever. Gunnar would have been proud!

True story about Gunnar Sønsteby, whom was an important figure in the Norwegian resistance - located in Oslo - during the Nazi occupation of Norway.

A combination of the old "Gunnar Sønsteby" (an actor) and the WW2 Gunnar, it is a back-and-forth between the two of them. Fortunately, this back-and-forth isn't too disturbing. I would have preferred a more chronological movie, whereby only attention is put to the WW2 period.

The acting is very good. Superb however are the scenes! All looks exactly as you would expect things to look like during WW2.

The storyline - apart from being fragmented - would have benefitted greatly from a clear antagonist, "the bad guy". This to give the viewer a better idea on how the Nazi's were trying to identify and locate the resistance members. Because that was something that clearly happened.

Taking into account all of the above, I think that this movie deserves a score of 7.3/10, making it a 7-star IMDb movie.

I personally think that this movie is best watched after you first see the movie "Max Manus - Man of War" (2008), which features the same resistance group. That movie gives a better view on the functioning - and people - in that resistance group. Whereby Gunnar Sønsteby seems to be a leader of the group, it was actually Max Manus - and his close friends - that committed the operational side of the sabotages. In the Max Manus movie, you will see several of the famous sabotages like e.g. The sinking of the Donau war-ship.

As a final remark, I want to comment on the original movie description that accompanies "Nr. 24". It reads that Sønsteby is the greatest war hero of Norway. To say this, does injustice to all people that died during work for the army, the resistance or from Nazi torture or execution. This whilst fighting for Norway's freedom. It would be more fair to name all the people that risked, or even gave their life, a hero. It should not be about whom is able to survive the war - and live the longest - to be able to claim a title like "greatest hero".

Saw this at a sneak premiere at Bergen Kino tonight (29/10-24) presented by the director and main actor.. This movie tells the story about one of Norways most famous resistance fighter(s) and it does it as well as it could possibly do.

I'm not a person who let my emotions take the best of me but this movie hit me quite hard.

I struggled with not crying in many scenes and the whole movie is a rollercoaster of how a war movie can and should be.

It's based on Gunnar "Kjakan" Sønstebys life during WW2 and the German occupation of Norway.

As a veteran myself, I was stunned by the realism, the choices they had to make and also the moral aspects of the movie.

Is it okay to kill one nazi individual when the consequences are ten or more other Norwegians killed by the nazis as revenge?

Just watch this movie! Truly one of the best Norwegian movies ever made.

And that includes the original "9 liv".

The best Norwegian war movie ever!!!

It's been a while since I watched a war film, one of my favorite moans, I didn't know how the film was structured but I only knew that it was about the war in a country I know very little about, Norway. It seemed to me more like a film that talked about the Cold War and not the Second World War, given the few scenes of real action, but many more of espionage. But the Second World War was also this and very little is said about it, the soundtrack is pressing apart from the song in the final clue scene which seemed quite out of place to me. The parts of the film where there appear to be real images of Søstenby (which were still shots specifically for the film), giving a speech to some kids were my favourite. Precisely in these scenes we understand the full meaning of the film, in war everything is allowed but everything is wrong and even those who seem to be doing something positive (like Gunnar) are actually doing atrocious things that perhaps won't be worth it. A film full of meaning and a story told very well despite the fact that it is a character that most people know very little about.

I have seen countless World War II-focused films. Let's just say, I watch virtually anything and everything that is released that features World War II stories.

So I would say that Number 24 is not your standard Second World War film. In stumbling upon this picture on Netflix, I never anticipated that I would come away feeling that Number 24 was one of the most compelling World War II films I have ever seen.

Number 24 brilliantly presents the most challenging of moral dilemmas that so often face combatants in war, especially a war as horrific as World War II.

For those who appreciate World War II films, I offer Number 24 my highest recommendation.

Bravo.

This was one of the best movies I have watched in a long while. A very touching story of a resistance fighter during WW2 that was both exciting, thrilling and left me very moved with the ending that I actually shed a tear. Not many movies will do that but this one did and I am very glad I had the opportunity to watch it. The story was one that I have never heard of but the story telling was excellent. I cant really say anything bad about this movie as it is perfect in my opinion and the people that made this movie, the actors, directors and everyone else involved deserve a round of applause. A must see.

I locked in expecting nothing but a notorious rebel fighter, opposing the Nazi regime with mysterious characteristics of his internal battles after being confronted with difficult moral choices.

As with anyone, one may not show their discomfort with others if they find themselves uncomfortable. That's how I saw Gunnar Sønsteby (played by Sjur Vatne Brean) feeling all throughout the movie. Rigid and montone in his presentation, solely focusing on his goals of freeing his nation. That's fine, no, it's great! They showcased him as a firm and balanced leader. But there are no nuances to him, no times for self-reflection except for the uncanny scenes in the bland hall filled with seated people we half the time need to ask: why are we being shown audience reactions that feel disconnected from the narrative?

I was also worried this film would fall into a similar trap as many other Norwegian world war movies; attempting to cramp years of history into an approximately 2 hour film. This is where I believe the the expository-heavy parts appear, aswell as the needless scenes which we could gain from (had they been further engaged with).

This film may just not resonate with my preferences for character depth and nuanced storytelling, but a 5 star-rating, like I gave 'Krigsseileren' 4 stars is where you see this on my list of rated films.

This is different, we've seen all the rest. - from every political view...This is new, and probably true, about being able to express Your Political View...FREE SPEECH without being Controlled by whatever Authority is in Control. Or wants to be in Control in eg NORWAY just prior to WW11 or maybe even now/...Is Norway closer to Russia - well they share they share the same border...Neither of them like nazis and neither do I.

I thank the Norwegians for making this Film, and Netflix for Publlishing it. ( am lucky I do not know the horrors of War and do not want my Children or Grandchilldren to expereince the horrors my father did.. He survived. My my brother worked in Norway for several years as a builder. English and Norwegians are Friends -- as are The Russians. Great Film Thank You.

In no way, shape or form, this movie is a 10.

It is a run-of-the-mill Netflix movie at best, and as far as I'm concerned, sub-par.

Despite claims by other reviewers, it was actually quite unnuanced, lacking deep character development or interesting dialogues, let alone action, but wasn't expecting the latter.

The main character was a staunch anti-Nazi even before the war and went on to fight Nazi's and collaborators during the war. All of them pure NPC's, anonymous baddies who loved to kill and torture, deserving anything they got.

The only 'moral dilemma' was the case of a Norwegian traitor, commonly the easiest moral decision to take for any group, let alone a resistance group in hiding. As Dante taught us centuries ago, the deepest level of hell is reserved for traitors, betrayers and oath breakers.

In short, the film shows a man hating Nazi's, killing them and getting rewarded for it, but it wasn't easy and it left a big mark.

For some reason we also get flashes to more modern settings, where the main character is old and justifies what he did to students, throwing the viewer out of the immersion for no good reason.

The real Gunnar Sønsteby was of course a true hero and deserves all praise, but that should include a better film honouring him. Maybe a documentary would have been more suiting. This was just boring, one dimensional and bland.

I liked it, although I was sceptical about the blended format (fakt docu + movie). What I foud particularly annoying were the young Norwegians whose primary concern was to be humae even when facing evil, and fighting in a non-violent way if possible. If you know anything about how the state runs Norwegian schools and how kids are brought up there, they are pacifists, very left-leaning to a point of ridiculousness. Hopefully there will be more of movies like this one that will show them that supporting evil and terrorists is wrong.

The cinematography is very good as others have commented, the actors look natural playing their parts and I can see nothing but bright future for each and every one of the leading characters.

"I have five drawers in my head. I closed the bottom drawer May 8th, 1945 and I haven't opened it since."

Sjur Vatne Brean (as the younger Gunnar) and Erik Hivju (as the older Gunnar) star as Gunnar Sønsteby in this Norwegian Film by Scandinavian Motion Picture Company Motion Blur. They also released the Movies Troll and Troll 2. It was released in October 2024 in Scandinavia, and released by Netflix worldwide January 1, 2025. It became the most popular film of 2024 in Norway at the time of it's release, and it was viewed over 9 million times in it's first week on Netflix. Number 24 is the True Story of Gunnar Sønsteby who was a young man in Oslo, Norway in 1940 when the Germans invaded. Gunnar rose up against the Germans in the Norwegian Resistance Movement and became Norway's most Highly Decorated Citizen. The movie is based on the autobiographical Novel REPORT FROM #24 ªª written by Gunnar Sønsteby.

It is a somber but fascinating story and a great movie.

Bravo to Gunnar Sønsteby and Number 24, a great man and a great movie!

Highly Recommended!

This was one of the greatest world war 2 resistance movies I've ever seen. This highly accurate true story of Norways greatest resistance hero Gunnar Sonsteby was a home run from beginning to end.the director was sensational moving from an older Gunnar telling his life story to a group of high school students and then flashing back to 1940's Norway and the Nazi occupation and resistance. The actor who played the young Gunnar was magnificent as was the senior actor who played Gunnar. The suspense was heart pounding as the Nazis try to close down the resistance cell of Norwegian patriots. Action scenes outstanding. Cinematography outstanding. All actors outstanding. And the best part. A true story. From beginning to end. Watch this movie. You won't be disappointed.

When the most intense scene in the movie takes place in 2012, when the protagonist Gunnar Sonsteby is confronted by a young woman from the audience he is speaking to, something is clearly wrong here.

The movie starts in 1937. One minute later we are in 1941, two minutes later spring 1942, one minute later 1943 before we halfway into the movie sort of slows down and centers on the main action in late 1944.

It took me a while to understand why he was a resistance fighter hot shot, because it's only near the end that he actually does something, other than speak and scheme.

There's not that much emotional depth here, and the action is few and brief. I would strongly advise watching 'Max Manus' from 2008 instead. It's much larger in scope and the screenplay is much stronger.

My husband and I love WW2 movies. This was a very thought-provoking and different kind of war movie. Not your typical action-filled and straight-forward Second World War movie, even if there is plenty of action.

If you are a huge movie geek into the craft of film-making this might not be a 10 for you, maybe a 7. What makes it a 10 out of 10 for me is how much I thought about it afterwards. So much that I wanted to see it again the next day. This movie will leave a lasting impression on me, especially considering the current political climate in Europe and the world. And I especially think young people should see it for this reason.

The two actors portraying the young and old Gunnar Sønsteby were incredible. Don't let the mediocre voice acting dub ruin the experience, watch it in Norwegian with subtitles for the best possible experience.

"Number 24" is a deeply moving Norwegian film that dives into a war-torn environment, where notions of resistance, freedom, and the sacred duty of liberation clash with the equally profound values of friendship and the ultimate sanctity of human life. It's a story that doesn't offer easy answers but instead asks us to sit with the complexities of human choices in impossible situations.

The audience is drawn into a delicate and artful struggle of emotions, questioning the very nature of what is right and wrong. This subjectivity feels especially raw in the chaos of war, where morality becomes fluid and every decision carries immense weight.

With breathtaking performances and stunning cinematography, the film portrays the harshness of its setting while highlighting the fragile beauty of human connection. It's a story that stays with you, making you reflect on what truly matters when ideals and lives are on the line.

A must-watch for anyone who appreciates emotionally charged storytelling that challenges the mind and touches the heart.