Synopsis
The film starts at the Sala front in Finland in 1940. The 25-year-old Norwegian Max Manus fights as a volunteer alongside the Finns against the Russian invaders. In March, a cease-fire is declared and foreign volunteers are sent home. However, on the 9th of April Hitler invades Norway.Max Manus starts in the resistance by joining friends printing illegal newspapers. Being of a reckless and wild nature he is soon caught. When the Nazi police show up in his apartment he chooses the fastest way out: jumping through the 2nd floor window! Miraculously he survives and wakes up in a hospital bed where he immediately starts planning his escape. His escape route takes him to England where he goes through sabotage training with the Free Norwegian Forces. In 1943 he parachutes over Norway to rejoin the growing resistance movement. The Max Manus legend as Norway’s most famous and colourful resistance fighter is born. His main adversary is the head of Gestapo
in Norway, Siegfried Fehmer. A cultured, well-dressed and extremely bright police officer from Munich with movie star look and presence, Fehmer is also a charmer with the ladies, but an extremely dangerous opponent. As the war progresses he makes the hunt for Max Manus and his group his main objective.
While Max Manus was the ultimate winner and Fehmer the loser, his war experiences slowly ruined Max’s nerves and turned him into an alcoholic. He was saved by the love of an exceptional woman who got him on his feet and helped him establish himself as a successful businessman and respected member of society.
