Gulltransporten (a.k.a. Gold Run) (2022)

Directed by Hallvard Bræin; produced by Kjetil Omberg and Jørgen Storm Rosenberg

In April, 1940, without a declaration of war, Germany invaded Norway. In addition to attempts to seize the King and his government, the Germans hoped to capture the country’s gold reserves, which would have gone far to finance their war effort. The transport of the gold to safety in Britain was entrusted to Fredrik Haslund (Jon Øigarden), the secretary of the Labour Party’s parliamentary group. A methodical bureaucrat, Haslund has little but his determination and organizational experience – and a fortuitously collected group of helpers – to achieve his goal.

I enjoy seeing movies about largely unknown bits of history, and Gulltransporten certainly fits the bill. Unfortunately, it did not quite give the episode the treatment it deserved, which is strange, considering the drama that the adventure must have realised.

The fault for the mediocrity of the film lies, I think, not with the acting. Everyone does well in their roles, especially Øigarden in the lead. Anatole Taubman, as the German Army officer leading the hunt for the gold, displays a good combination of malevolence, frustration and weariness that seems to imply annoyance in his assignment. Morten Svartveit as famed Norwegian poet Nordahl Grieg, and Ida Elise Broch as Haslund’s sister, Nini, who joins the evasion, are fine as well.

As is often the case, it is the small signs and short moments that convey much, as when Sven Nordin, portraying burly worker Odd Henry, expresses his patriotism in the look of disgust he gives German aeroplanes flying overhead, and his awkward removal of his cap in the presence of the King.

The story is an exciting one, and seems to parallel reality closely, the escape of the gold not being a neat loading onto a single ship, but involving several attempts at several ports, a hazardous train-ride and a motor convoy up coastal roads. But the script is lackluster. At one point, Haslund is confronted with the question as to why he – essentially a high-level clerk - was chosen to lead the mission. This question, of interest to the viewer and possibly important to the plot, is not answered. As well, Nini’s description of her brother’s meticulousness might seem to be pertinent to the story, but nothing comes of it. The periodic comic relief afforded by a timid bank teller (Axel Bøyum) paired with Odd Henry in the adventure does not really fit the film.

The direction is adequate, making good use of computerised effects and pyrotechnics, yet nonetheless does not create the suspense that it should. There are no moments that make the viewer sit forward in tension, though the same viewer could probably point out which moments they should have been.

While Gulltransporten is a satisfactory film, it could have been better. It certainly could not have been improved with a bigger budget, or more battle scenes; it should never have been a block-buster. On the other hand, a more defined script - with something to say about the characters as much as the action – along with stronger direction, would have made it memorable.