Smugglers

For many, the happy twenties were not very happy, with high unemployment, poverty and a bitter disillusioned youth. But at the same time there was prohibition in Norway, with large-scale smuggling and easy-earned money. Ernst, an unemployed architect, stumbles onto the smuggler path, and replaces a gray, boring life with a lush, rowdy and colorful world. Klara, the girl he loves, walks away from him, and Jenny becomes his new girlfriend. Together with Hugo and Elsa, these four make a number of smuggling trips by car - with big profits - but it's not enough. So Ernst invests in boats, and that's when the really messy smuggling starts. He operates in the entire Oslo Fjord, all the way down to Rotterdam, pursued by police and customs, with his infamous torpedo boats. We follow Ernst all the way to the so-called Bygdøyslaget, where smugglers and police brutaly clash together.

Directed by Rolf Clemens, Smugglers leans on a strong ensemble — Baard Owe, Elsa Lystad, Arne Aas — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about action titles of 1968.