Norwegian Ninja - DVD

Film: In 1984, Norwegian Arne Treholt was arrested in Oslo. He was accused of working as a spy for the Soviet Union. Although many details remained unexplained, Treholt was sentenced to twenty years in prison for treason, but was released after 8 years. What actually lies behind the espionage accusations remains pure speculation - and that is exactly what filmmaker Thomas Cappelen Malling has now taken advantage of. He has chosen the real-life background as the framework for a completely absurd action-comedy that goes down absolutely bizarre paths not only in terms of content, but also stylistically.

The story is set in the early 1980s. Arne Treholt (Mads Ousdal) is the head of a top-secret ninja unit in the Norwegian army. They train for emergencies on a secluded island in the Oslo Fjord, protected from unwelcome visitors by a feng shui force field. King Olaf V. (Trod-Viggo Torgersen) is a great admirer of Treholt and his unit and likes to pay the secret island a visit once in a while. Otherwise, however, the ninjas keep to themselves and prepare to go into battle against a covert stay-behind special CIA unit that is carrying out attacks all over Europe and then blaming them on the communists. Their leader Otto Meyer (Jon Øigarden) is Arne Treholt's declared nemesis and a true equal. But with his ninja force behind him, there is nothing to stop Treholt from saving his country and the rest of the world from being embroiled in a new war by Otto Meyer and his men.

Norwegian Ninja blends fact and fiction to create a completely whimsical, charmingly absurd action-comedy. Director Thomas Cappelen Malling puts less emphasis on a logical, complex plot than on the look of the film and the placement of some very nice ideas. For instance, the beginning of the film features an amusing instructional video of the ninja squad, which not only looks like a bad 80s VHS copy in terms of picture quality, but also features a soundtrack to match. Clips from news broadcasts, images from surveillance cameras, trashy model and stop-motion effects and neat ninja fight scenes mix to form an entertaining whole, which you have to get involved with as a viewer, however, in order to be able to enjoy this wacky comedy in all its absurdity.

For a good film in the classical sense Norwegian Ninja is not. It juggles with all the clichés of agent and war movies and bombards the audience with wooden dialogues. But since just these style elements as well as the cheap-looking special effects or the meager picture quality with its sometimes severely alienated coloring are deliberately used and are largely responsible for the entertainment value of the film, only the negative aspects from the Norwegian Ninja troop make the trashy B-movie fun, which came out in the end.

So if you like it a bit more absurd, whimsical, trashy and charming, you should definitely check out this ninja comedy. But if you need a sophisticated story or a glossy look in addition to well-choreographed fight sequences, you probably won't be able to do anything with this work.

Picture + Sound: Director Thomas Cappelen Malling has gone out of his way to make his film look like old 80s material. Thus, when it comes to picture quality and colouring, there are some aspects that could be considered a weakness at first glance, but which are in fact deliberately used stylistic devices and thus an integral part of the film. The sound is also deliberately trimmed to poor in many scenes, but can please at other moments with some very good surround effects. Overall, the dialogue is mixed with good intelligibility, but seems a bit too front-heavy. Overall, the technical realization is absolutely in keeping with the style and atmosphere of the film. And that's why this one gets a well-deserved: good!

Extras: There was no bonus material on the DVD we were provided with. However, several extras have been announced for the purchase version, including dropped scenes, several making ofs, bonus scenes, interviews, a music video, and various teasers and trailers. Sounds promising.

Conclusion: Norwegian Ninja is a completely off-the-wall spy thriller that makes up for some flaws in the plot based on true backgrounds with plenty of absurd comedy, an endearingly trashy 80s look, and playful set pieces. For lovers of amusing B-Movie fare and original action movies absolutely recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp