Arctic Convoy (2023) Konvoi
Internet Movie Data base meta-data is a runtime of 1h 48m rated 6.5 by 4,400 cinemazitens.
Genre: War.
DNA: Norsk.
Verdict: Makes its point.
Tagline: Waiting is hard.
After mid-1941 much of the Battle of the Atlantic was fought in the far north, including the Arctic Ocean. That latter was the lifeline for the Soviet Union. This is the story of one lone Norwegian cargo vessel bound for Murmansk.
‘Norwegian?’ Yes, Mortimer (he’s back!). In April 1940 Norway had the fourth largest merchant marine and many of them had the most modern equipment (cranes, elevators, radar, and radios). The Norwegian Government in exile with King Hakkon directed its ships to make for British ports, and nearly one thousand did so. By fiat this government declared their crews ‘war sailors,’ conscripted for the duration of the war. They numbered about 30,000. The ships and men were incorporated as Nortraship which became the largest mercantile shipping company at the time.
I said 30,000 men above, but let it be note that more than 200 women were included on the ships, radio operators, doctors, or navigators. The presence of a woman in the crew in this film has driven a few opinionators ballistic on the IMDb reviews, but it is true to life as five minutes of internet investigation revealed. (The tired Hollywood trope of men fighting over her is completely absent. Fear does dampen the libido.)
The tankers of the Norwegian fleet had earlier fuelled the Spitfires during the Battle of Britain as they crossed the North Atlantic with Texas oil. Later its ships stood off Normandy with supplies and evacuated wounded and prisoners.
The price was high: More than 10% of the sailors died, i.e., 3,700 including 25 women. When an oil tanker blows up, everyone dies.
In this story a series of mishaps (faulty intelligence, disrupted communication, equipment failure) heighten the latent personality conflicts within the crew of one ship. The ‘Convoy’ of the title is scattered and we follow one crew of about twenty. When the British escort is withdrawn (in anticipation of attacking German surface ships that in fact did not materialise) tension among the crew increases and increases, because they are now even more vulnerable to German U-Boats and aircraft.
The Captain is determined to complete the mission to help win the war, while the first officer (and the engineer) would like to retreat against the impossible odds they will now face alone. Dissension follows. No one ever says the obvious, even if the ship reverses course to Iceland, the Germans may still attack.
An air attack follows and damages the ship and wounds the captain, the weather worsens which is good (keeps the German planes down and the ice floes deter submarines) and is bad (ice threatens the ship). One crewman is killed in an attack, and another dies avoiding floating mines.
None of the characters is Hollywood cardboard. Each has reasons that make some sense, as even the Captain admits at the end.
The outstanding performance is by the bug-eyed Swede (the only volunteer in the crew) as the gunner on the lone anti-aircraft weapon on the ship. But the fear and trepidation among the crew is palpable, and, indeed, hard to watch.
