Spikeopath
Age of Heroes is directed by Adrian Vitoria and Vitoria also co- writes the screenplay with Ed Scates. It stars Sean Bean, Danny Dyer, Aksel Hennie, Izabella Miko, James D'Arcy, William Houston, John Dagleish and Stephen Walters. Music is by Michael Richard Plowman and cinematography by Mark Hamilton.Pic is based on the real life exploits of James Bond creator Ian Fleming. This telling sees a unit of Commandos sent on a mission to the mountains of Norway to knock out an important German communication tower whilst purloining information to aid the war effort. In truth it doesn't add a great deal to an already over stocked "men on a mission" sub-genre of war films, but there's enough excitement, explosions, potent character dynamics and military shenanigans, to keep things at the better end of a viewing experience. Cast are fine, all portraying familiar types seen in countless films of this ilk, the snowy Norwegian locations are a sight for sore eyes, and Vitoria does a nice job of giving his film an old fashioned feel - complete with the obligatory Nazi atrocity to add some venomous oomph to the plotting.The inclusion of Izabella Miko on the mission sadly comes off as a token female shoehorn job, and I agree with what other reviewers have said as regards the finale, it does feel a bit rushed as this pic definitely could have done with another 15 minutes or so. Yet being an old fashioned guy myself, I liked it well enough and was glad to have viewed it. 7/10
Sulla-2
It's a fictional story based on the exploits of the real Ian Fleming early in WW2. Fleming is an office bod who gets Major Jones ( Sean Bean) to form a small commando group for a very important mission in Nazi occupied Norway. One of his men is the rebellious but competent Danny Dyer. The acting is fine even though only a few of Major Jones' 'chosen men' seem to have a speaking part. We also have the addition of a local girl from Norway (an attractive girl obviously) Some parts are fine and some parts are a little implausible. All things considered it's a OK watch. Some of the 'chosen men' survive but only after walking a few hundred miles in the snow to Norway. The mission is accomplished but not the way it was planned.
Robert J. Maxwell
It has some of the qualities of a television production -- the flat photography, the close ups. But what it is, is a British movie about a commando raid into Norway early in World War II. Ian Fleming is seen supporting the organization of what was to become the SAS but his isn't a prominent role, and he does not wear polished oxblood brogans or chocolate colored bow ties. He's a naval commander, and the leader of the back is major Sean Bean, older but more impressive in his bulk than ever.Some recent British war movies, like "Behind Enemy Lines," have been unusually graphic compared to the triumphant war stories of the 1950s. This one is more brutal and far less polite than any of the others in the genre that I've been able to see.These nascent commandos and the prison that one of them comes from are hellishly demanding. The Brits who run the prison ("the red hats") bully the prisoners, kick them, drive them to exhaustion and then beat them. And the commando training is even more rigorous.The first half tells the story of a prisoner who escapes in order to join the commandos. The second half spells out the story of the raid on some German radar installations in the snowy mountains of Norway.The SS officer who pursues them, tortures his captives, and executes the residents of a tiny Norwegian village is handsome and well spoken, although thoroughly evil. The action scenes -- and there are several of them -- are subject to the usual wobbling camera and instantaneous cutting that's become so faddish. The narrative nevertheless is enthralling. When a captive suffers, he REALLY suffers.The commandos kill many Nazis, and they kill each other when they must, and they even try to kill themselves if they're about to be captured. The ex prisoner is about to cut his own throat as German soldiers approach him. We're supposed to admire the dedication and self sacrifice of the commandos while condemning any Japanese who did the same thing during the war.If you see this, you're not likely to forget it in a hurry.
writeus-1
I would liken it to a small but well-formed Heroes of Telemark and if you liked that you should like this.Sean Bean and Danny Dyer are excellent, and I enjoyed the introduction of Isabella Miko. Other casting was adequate (although I would have preferred someone like Susannah York - ex Battle of Britain - for the role of Holbrook) I have a hunch that the negative reviews of this film may be from a non-UK audience; one that is not comfortable with ordinary heroes, realistic language (the F-word), and the audience being left to complete elements of the story. The ending is sufficient, and the suspense well-maintained throughout, with plenty of action - some a little more unpleasant that you might want in a 15 - but that is the nature of war. Nothing gratuitous, but nothing patronisingly anodyne.I have watched a lot of war films over the last 50 years and this is definitely one of the better ones.
AD
