PLOT SYNOPSIS (taken
from Amazon.com):
In 1984 high ranking
Norwegian diplomat Arne Treholt was tried and convicted of acting as a spy on behalf of the Soviet Union. But what if the
courts got it wrong? What if the case against him was a sham? What if dare we consider Treholt was not a spy at all but a
patriot of the highest order and the leader of a secret ninja force created by King Olav? A ninja force locked in a secret
battle against all who would challenge Norwegian sovereignty?
ANALYSIS:
NORWEGIAN NINJA
is like the Norwegian Ninja film that director Wes Anderson never made. It is a delightful
spy spoof that is also a homage to 1980s action films. Blending actual newsreel footage from the Treholt affair where Andre
Treholt was arrested for selling secrets to the KGB. People claimed there wasn't enough evidence for what Treholt was convicted
for. NORWEGIAN NINJA takes that affair and spins a fictional alternate history where Treholt is the head of a group of ninjas
working the King of Norway. The ninjas are locked in battle with the group Stay Behind who are out to fake terrorism incidents
to get Norway under the thumb of United States control. Treholt fights to maintain Norwegian sovereignty.
The movie is an
awesome ninja film filled with zen and action in addition to an old documentary style look (imagine if writer/ director Thomas
Cappelen Malling got the camera people of the Dharma Initiative videos from LOST as his film crew). The film never
takes itself too serious whether it is when Treholt locks wits with his arch nemesis Otto Meyer (leader of Stay Behind) or
showing how the power of Feng Shui protects the island paradise where the ninjas train, raise their own food, live peacefully
with the animals, and have barbecues with hot dogs. NORWEGIAN NINJA is a cult classic.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
The three deleted
scenes are fun to watch although they might have fought with the pacing of the film while the bonus scenes features B-roll
footage and little extra stuff like bloopers and a fake toy ad.
Featurettes:
Interview with Director/
Writer Thomas Cappelen Malling, Producer Eric Vogel, and star Mads Ousdal is very tongue-in-cheek.
The TORPEDO, SKYCAR,
and KIELLAND featurettes show the amount of green screen and model effects work along with camera tricks to achieve three
sequences in the movie.
FIGHT CHOREGRAPHY
goes behind-the-scenes as you see rehearshal footage of ninja fighting and moves.
MUSIC is all about
the score as composer Gaute Tonder discusses the various music themes in the film
The promo section
features the theatrical trailer, four teaser trailers, two TV spots, and a music video by Disco Chris.
FINAL ANALYSIS: NORWEGIAN
NINJA is an instant cult classic. this spy spoof is fun with ninja action too. The extras are a nice addition
to this fab DVD.
this DVD review is
(c)10-26-2011 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission. send all comments to feedback@enterline-media.com
