The Birdcatcher

This deeply dopey Second World War thriller, set in the snowscapes of Norway, takes an initially intriguing premise and runs it straight into an insuperable wall of ineptitude.

Fads may change, tastes may come and fashions may go, but one thing seems constant: an inexhaustible market for ropey, hammy Euro-puddingish, lite-drama films set in the 1940s.

Despite the sincere feeling behind it, “The Birdcatcher” is simply too hard to buy into.

...deserves respect for spinning an entertaining story around events too dark to take centre stage...

The cast does its best, but Clarke's unsubtle direction strains at every turn to universalise the story, and the movie is memorable solely for John Christian Rosenlund's striking photography.

While the film looks great, and makes nice use of the picturesque settings, it never feels remotely realistic.