Norwegian Ninja! No, really, Norwegian Ninja on DVD from eOne 18th April

A true story of treason and espionage in Cold War-era Norway re-imagined by a writer-director who, as a 12-year-old, had his mind warped by a diet of Star Wars, 1980s Ninja movies, C64 video games and his dad's spy novels, provides the bizarre source material and inspires the vision for Norwegian Ninja, the debut feature by author-turned-filmmaker Thomas Cappelen Malling.

Produced by the people responsible for the cult Nazi zombies hit "Dead Snow", Norwegian Ninja is a quirky, offbeat homage to everything from James Bond's improbable spy shenanigans to B-movie Ninja flicks and post-modern Grindhouse culture to political conspiracy theory. Described as "quite possibly the most inventive and peculiar Norwegian film ever" (Tord Olander Pedersen, iTromsø.no) and "a refreshing Norwegian film in all its twisted boyhood fantasies" (Terje Eidsvåg, Adresseavisen) that "delivers plenty laughs and excitement" (Twitch), Malling's film is a true original, a potent mix of fact, fiction and fantasy that is impossible to pigeonhole.

In reality, Norwegian Ninja's main protagonist, Arne Treholt, was a former Norwegian social democratic politician and diplomat who, in the mid-1980s, was convicted of high treason and espionage on behalf of the Soviet Union and Iraq and sentenced to 20 years in prison. However, in the eyes of the juvenile Thomas Cappelen Malling watching events unfold on the TV news, the handsome, hotshot diplomat was neither traitor nor spy. He was a skilled Ninja Master secretly working for King Olav V and defending the Norwegian Way!

When Commander Treholt (Mads Oussdal) and the highly trained members of his covert Ninja Force discover a sinister plot against Norway, they immediately leap into action to avert the crisis. Behind the devious plans for a coup-d'état that would effectively place the US in control of the country is Treholt's nemesis, Meyer (Jon Oigarden), an operative of "Stay Behind", an anti-Soviet force funded by NATO and with nefarious links to the CIA. As Treholt and Meyer wage a private and very personal war for the hearts and minds of the Norwegian people, the Ninja Force must fight to defeat Meyer's co-conspirators in the name of King Olav's battle cry, "All For Norway!" Meanwhile, Treholt is also occupied with the unenviable task of training a seemingly incompetent member of the Ninja Force to become his second-in-command.

Norwegian Ninja (cert. 15) will be released on DVD (£12.99) by eOne on 18th April 2011. Special Features include: Oddities and Bloopers; Home Alone With Otto; Interviews plus Fight Choreography, Music Video, Skycar and Torpedo featurettes; Bonus Scenes (Action Figures, Life On A Grassy Island, Wingsuits, Pyrotechnics).


Yeah, I know... It looks pretty unreal, doesn't it. Which is why the nice people at eOne have set up a hubsite to gather all the info and press about the film. Go to cult-labs and you'll be able to find out more about the film, check out some images, read some blogs, and watch some clips. Be sure to like it if you have Facebook tendencies!