Not for the kids, but well worth watching for adults.There aren’t a ton of war movies on Netflix, but that doesn’t mean the streaming service doesn’t have some great ones available. Be prepared for strong language, horrific violence, and dark themes.

In the world of this war, virtue is never rewarded, and no good deed goes unpunished.īrilliantly filmed, directed, and acted, War Sailor is not light entertainment. It’s tempting to call the story a tragedy, but in fact it’s better described as aggravated irony. It all culminates in one of those bureaucratic snafus that start in mixed signals and end in ravaged lives. Meanwhile, Freddie’s family at home is struggling to make ends meet, is worried sick about him, and is facing dangers of their own from Allied bombers. When their ship is torpedoed, Freddie and Wally find themselves sharing a raft with a dying man and a madman. Freddie takes an underaged sailor under his wing as a sort of surrogate son, and gives up a chance to escape from the service in order to protect the young man. German U-boats are taking a desperate toll on the Norwegian ships (fully half of them were sunk over the course of the war) and casualties are high. The sailors are suddenly de facto members of the Navy (albeit unarmed), without the privilege of resigning. The Norwegian government has nationalized the country’s merchant shipping (one of their major industries) and put it all at the disposal of the allies for carrying war munitions and supplies. Anyway, he promises to keep Freddie safe.īy the time they reach New York, Germany has invaded and Norway is at war. As both Norway and the US are neutral there’s minimal danger, he reasons.

Freddie’s wife Cecilia is concerned about the danger, as the war is going on, but Wally reassures her that they’re only going to New York. Jobs are hard to find, and Wally encourages Freddie to join him in signing on to a merchant ship.

Freddie is a hard-working family man in Bergen, and Wally is his bachelor friend. I binged it last night and wish to recommend it to you.Īfter an opening set in Singapore after World War II, we go back to 1939 and observe our two main characters, Alfred (“Freddie”) and Sigbjørn (“Wally”). War Sailor, a Norwegian film released last year (the most expensive movie ever made in Norway, I’m informed), has been expanded into a three-part miniseries for Netflix. Another film project on which I worked as a script translator is now available in the US.

World war ii navy ship movie on netflix