Steineded How sad is this?

JinRoz For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

Intcatinfo A Masterpiece!

Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

s3276169 During WWII Sweden was in a difficult position. Blockaded by Germany but also sympathetic to the plight of its neighbours in Norway and Finland. This film in a modest way delves into the Sweden's role in the war with a tale of Swedish soldiers crossing the border to recover their people who have been captured on German controlled, Norwegian soil.This is ultimately an action film but it also touches on conflicting attitudes on the part of Swedes towards the war. Some want to stay neutral, others take action against Germany, some even support the Germans as the lesser of two evils; Nazism vs Communism. Beyond the Boarder does a good job of showing the impact of war on Swedish soldiers who, for the most part, have little or no combat experience. It contrasts their initial naive enthusiasm for joining the conflict and their dawning understanding of the harsh realities of war. In most respects this is a decent film, its competently directed, acted and utilizes good sets and backdrops. That said, I did feel, at times, the story was a little disjointed and the character development somewhat limited. Nonetheless, this film is a mostly worthwhile watch and a refreshing departure from the standard fare that comes out of the US/UK. Seven out of ten from me.

goranbr I wish I had read some review of this movie before I bought it on Blu-ray. Boy, what a waste of good money! As a previous reviewer stated, I really was looking forward to a Swedish war movie. Perhaps the first of its kind to be made. As a Swede who have only heard my dad speak vaguely about what it was like to live in Sweden during the German occupation of Norway, I was looking for some portrayal of what it was like. As well as some good old-fashioned action of course!However, I can only agree with previous reviewer that the characters acted so amateurishly and so unconvincingly stupid that I ended up swearing to myself during the whole movie. They must have slept right through their entire basic training. A seven-year-old who had played any computer war game would have picked them off one by one.As an example: Who would be stupid enough, when pursued by German patrols in a foreign, occupied country, to light a fire in a cabin's fireplace and a number of kerosene lamps without shading the windows? Not posting any guard outside to warn of approaching enemy soldiers or even having their firearms within easy reach? They don't event seem vigilant but seem to be writing postcards. One guy even goes to the privy without his gun or helmet.At the end, I almost stood up and applauded when a Swede got shot. I know it sounds horrible to say, but boy, these guys sure had it coming for being so unforgivably stupid as to put the whole country to shame. I hope nobody outside the country watches this or we will be the laughing-stock of the planet for years to come.

Enchorde It's rare to see a serious Swedish war movie, in part due to the lack modern time battles involving the country. In the second world war the country was officially neutral cornered by conflict on all sides. This movie is about a few Swedish soldiers protecting the border against Nazi occupied Norway. A local major decides to be a bit proactive before the, as he sees it, the inevitable German invasion and sends his border patrol in to Norwegian territory for recognizance and sabotage. The major's main guy is lieutenant Stenström who performs well. But when Stenström's brother carelessly crosses the border and gets captured by the sadistic Nazi captain, it gets personal. Stenström recruits his friend Järvinen, a veteran and legend from the Finnish Winter War, and goes deep into enemy territory to free his brother.I rarely like Swedish movies. Mainly it is because they always seem to aim at being everything, covering every genre, and doing too much with limited resources. But Gränsen is different. It is satisfied with being a war movie, and for its purpose, the resources is covering it well. Actually I am surprised with the approach to action and fighting. It is far too easy to overdo it, but Gränsen balances it very nice (even though there are some questions). There is no humongous battles, or Rambo-like gun fights, but it feels much more realistic and plausible with fighting on a much smaller scale.The story is good as well, even though at two hours it is stretching the material pretty thin. Some scenes or subplots that aren't followed up later, or helps the main plot much, should have been cut. Some of the dialog is a little stiff and a few characters a little annoying. None the less, I liked it. Every movie (with extremely rare exceptions) have faults, and Gränsens' is rather minor. They are easy to forgive.Gränsen is a good, entertaining war movie. It was much better than I expected, especially considering the lack of experience doing movies like this in Sweden. If you like a good war movie, you might want to check this out.7/10

E D I wanted to like this movie, but I just can't. The poor script, the editing and the direction just destroys any possible enjoyment of this Swedish WWII-thriller.The premise of the movie - a WWII border incident between neutral Sweden and the by Germany occupied Norway - is credible. The winter setting could make for some good cinematography.However, scene after scene is utterly ridiculous. Again and again characters behave like complete idiots without explanation. The behavior is so utterly improbable and stupid that it is impossible to take the movie seriously.Additionally, many characters suffer from tired clichés (all German captains are of course pale psychopaths who torture people for no reason and smoke cigars with which they burn their victims). Lastly, both the editing and the direction leaves much to be desired. Scenes are not set up properly. Action scenes look ridiculous with characters appearing from nowhere etc. Many scenes are missing, adding to the sense of incredibility.There is no wonder that the script is bad: it was written by the lead actor who, as it seems, has never written anything for the screen previously. Avoid this movie and see something else.