Number 24 (film)
| Number 24 | |
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| Directed by | John Andreas Andersen |
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| Music by | Kristoffer Lo |
Number 24, also spelled Nr 24, is a 2024 Norwegian biographical feature film about the Norwegian resistance fighter Gunnar Sønsteby. The film is directed by John Andreas Andersen and produced by Motion Blur. It premiered in Norway on 30 October 2024.
Synopsis
The film follows Sønsteby from the campaign in 1940 and throughout World War II. It dramatizes several of the Oslo Group's sabotage operations and assassinations during World War II, and is framed by an elderly Sønsteby giving a lecture to school students in Rjukan, where he recounts the events he participated in during the war.[1]
Cast
- Sjur Vatne Brean as Gunnar Sønsteby (young)
- Erik Hivju as Gunnar Sønsteby (old)
- Lisa Loven Kongsli as Gudrun Collett
- Magnus Dugdale as Andreas Aubert
- Benjamin Myhre as Max Manus
- Philip Helgar as Edvard Tallaksen
- Ulrik William Græsli as Gregers Gram
- Jørgen Cleve Broch as Knut Haugland
- Ines Høysæter Asserson as Reidun Andersen
- Per Kjerstad as Karl Marthinsen
- Jakob Maanum Trulsen as Karl Erling Øhrn Solheim
- August Wittgenstein as Siegfried Fehmer
- Erik Madsen as Erwin Karl Morio
- Lars Berge as Oscar Beck
- William Gundersen as Arne Gundeid
- Kristian Halken as Haakon VII
- Petter Width Kristiansen as Olav V
- Mark Noble as J. S. Wilson
- Martin Karelius Østensen as Philip Hansteen
- Pål Christian Eggen as Hans Konrad Andersen
- Cato Skimten Storengen as Petter Ringen Johannessen
- Flo Fagerli as Anne Solheim
- Morten Rudå as Sverre Hornbæch
- Tobias Aksdal as Halvor Rivrud
- Benjamin Noble as Daniel Ring
- Jacob Jensen as Jens Christian Hauge
Production
The film was written as an original spec script by first-time writer Espen von Ibenfeldt and later purchased by Motion Blur.[2]
Sjur Vatne Brean plays the lead role as the young Sønsteby during the war,[3] while Erik Hivju plays an older version of the war hero.[4]
The title of the film is the same as the most well-known code name used by Gunnar Sønsteby.[5]
Release
Number 24 premiered in Norway on 30 October 2024, with special pre-premieres in Flekkefjord on 22 October, Oslo on 23 October, and Rjukan on 24 October.[2]
It became available on the streaming platform Netflix in 2025, where it was the most-streamed film in Norway during its opening weeks. Number 24 has an approval rating of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 11 reviews.[6]
References
- ^ Kaalaas, Sunniva Berggreen (5 October 2023). "Rådebank star to play "Kjakan" in major new film". Forsvarets forum. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ Sveen, Silje Lien (5 October 2023). "To play war hero in new major film: – Deeply honored". VG Nett. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
– Being part of continuing Gunnar's important post-war work in sharing his experiences and messages with future generations is an honor.
- ^ "Erik Hivju is the older Gunnar Sønsteby in Number 24". Radio Rjukan. 24 January 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ Færøy, Frode (2 August 2023). "Gunnar Sønsteby". Store Norske Leksikon. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
To avoid arrest, Sønsteby used a number of aliases. The most well-known was "Number 24", but within the resistance and among Norwegian authorities in Britain and Sweden, he was also referred to as "Gunnar Lier", "Erling Fjeld", "Krogh" or simply "Kjakan".
- ^ "Number 24 | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2 August 2025.