In the freezing wilderness of the Arctic Circle, 1943, twelve Norwegian resistance fighters quietly set out to launch sabotage attacks on occupying Nazi forces. However when they drop anchor in a desolate fjord, they are betrayed by a fellow countryman and ambushed by a German minesweeper. Eleven of the men are captured, tortured and brutally killed. Only one man evades capture by the Nazis. This twelfth man would become a symbol of gritty survival and fierce resistance against the occupation.
The 12th Man is based on the incredible true story of Jan Baalsrud (Thomas Gullestad), a commando and resistance fighter who evaded capture in occupied Norway for over a month. Pursued literally to the edge of the Earth into the treacherous Arctic Circle, Baalsrud suffered a gunshot wound, as well as the deadly conditions of Norwegian winter.
His chief pursuer, SS officer Kurt Stage, is played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers (The Tudors, Vikings), who learned German for the role and delivers a chilling performance throughout. Baalsrud has to use all his survival skills, and the assistance of Norwegian locals, to try and escape Stage’s clutches and certain death.
The 12th Man also stars Marie Blokhus and Mads Sjøgård Pettersen, and is directed by Harald Zwart (The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones) with a 15 Certificate and 130-minute running time. The movie will be released in select Cinemas & Digital HD 4th January 2019 and on DVD 7th January. Visit www.signature-entertainment.co.uk for more information.
History of War presents a reveal of the movie poster, exclusively on HistoryAnswers.co.uk:, and below watch the UK trailer:
