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Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Raoul Walsh directed four of Errol Flynn's World War II movies at Warner Brothers. The best was "Objective: Burma" with Flynn and company parachuting into Burma to show the British who could stop the Japanese. Mind you, the British hated Flynn for this film, and Warners had to pull it before the Brits firebombed it. Although "Objective: Burma" ranked as the best of Flynn's collaborations with Walsh, their initial propaganda outing "Desperate Journey" was far more fun but totally unrealistic. Walsh and Flynn teamed up between these two combat pictures with "Northern Pursuit." Unlike the authentic-looking "Objective: Burma" that took place in the Pacific Theater of Operations and "Desperate Journey" with its European Theater of Operations, "Northern Pursuit" took place in appropriately above us in Canada. Flynn is cast as intrepid Corporal Steve Wagner of Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman. Meantime, a U-Boat lands Luftwaffe Colonel Hugo von Keller (Helmet Dantine of "Hotel Berlin") in Canada via a U-Boat, but his men and he don't get far before their Indian tracker precipitate an avalanche that killed Keller's men and left him barely alive. He stumbles onto a German aviator "Northern Pursuit" is the kind of World War II that nobody can complain about. Aside from Louis Milestone's "Edge of Darkness" where Flynn played a native Norwegian and Walsh's "Uncertain Glory" where he played a French criminal, Flynn played a Canadian. The plot here involves Keller as he searches for the parts to assemble a German bomber, so his men and he can bomb the St. Lawrence Waterway. As far as I know, this was the only wartime film that targeted the waterway, while many others took aim at the Panama Canal. Anyway, the RCMP discover something treasonous about Wagner owing to his German ancestry and they drum him out. Of course, you know that neither Flynn nor his character could have anything to do with the Nazis. Although it isn't as much fun as "Desperate Journey," pulp novelist Frank Gruber, scenarist Alvah Bessie, with an uncredited William Faulkner make its twists and turns palatable enough to be consistently entertaining stuff. Julie Bishop plays Flynn's love interest who doesn't believe that he could turn his back on Canada.

Basically 'Errol Flynn vs. the Nazis, Round 3' Battleground: CanadaBeing myself a Canadian, I was thrilled to find in my 'TCM Spotlight: Errol Flynn Adventures' (five films made during WWII in which Errol Flynn battles the Nazis) a film helmed by one of my favourite American directors of the period, in Raoul Walsh, with Flynn starring as a RCMP officer (typically called 'Mountie') making sure the Nazis can't succeed in their quest to sneak into Canada and, there, create another front in their quest to bring hell on Earth. As a child, I loved his rendition of one of my very favourite heroes (Robin Hood), and lately I quite enjoyed seeing the ill-starred (dying at 50--again in Canada--from a heart attack brought on by chronic alcoholism) native Australian who was perhaps the second-most alluring male thespian of all-time, behind the equally ill-fated Rudolph Valentino, in an audacious TCM 4-pack of outstanding adventure movies, such as 'Captain Blood' and 'The Sea Hawk', and an equally intriguing 4-pack of Westerns he made as his star began to wane.This doesn't disappoint, as Walsh directs, just like he always does, with an appealing eye and a talent for setting up suspense and excitement. Highly recommended to either fans of Flynn, war films or of cinema from the period.

The Opening Scene of a Submarine Crashing through the Frozen Surface, and later, an Avalanche, are the Only Highlights in this Dull, Badly Acted, Poorly Written Propaganda Picture. One Guesses it was a Nod to America's Neighbors to the North for Their War Effort. A Handshake and a Friendly Slap on the Back.But this Errol Flynn and War Bond Vehicle, Directed by His Friend Raoul Walsh, who was more Tolerant of Flynn's Drinking and other Non Professionalisms than most, is a Goofy Adventure that is Snowbound as well as Studio Bound but was Bound to make Money for the War Bonds.Unintentionally Humorous at times and some of the Intended Humor is Embarrassing (the stereotypical miser McBain ). The Story is so Far Fetched Interest Wanes. It's a Stiff Looking Film that despite its Wide Open Wilderness Setting, comes off as a Claustrophobic, Constrained Clunker that was Forgotten Immediately and remains in the Periphery when Propaganda, War, or Errol Flynn Movies are Considered.

This is a real bow-wow.Errol Flynn stars in "Northern Pursuit," a 1943 propaganda film directed by Raoul Walsh. It also stars Helmut Dantine, Gene Lockhart, and Julie Bishop.Walsh told a story of how Jack Warner used to call him up to his office and tell him he had to direct a script for him. Warner would have no details, not even the cast. "Some bum," he would say, when Walsh asked him who was in it. This scenario might have been the case for "Northern Pursuit." Flynn and Walsh were very close friends, but they both might have been blind-sided into this one by dear old Jack.The premise story concerns Nazis in Canada who are trying to get way into the Canadian wilderness, where parts of a bomber have been hidden. Once assembled, it's going to take out the St. Lawrence Seaway. More than a little preposterous. Flynn is a mountie whose character is of German descent, so he goes undercover and, knowing the area, helps the Nazis on their journey.Even if you ignore this plot, and you have to in order to get through the movie, it's pretty slow going. There are some exciting scenes, but this isn't your usual Flynn adventure film. Helmut Dantine and Gene Lockhart give excellent performances, though, and handsome, charismatic Flynn does as well as he can given the circumstances.A youngster on this board trashed this movie, the 1940s audiences, and propaganda films in general, making mention of the "special effects." Given that this was filmed on a Warner sound stage without benefit of CGI and a computer, the film looks pretty good, with some very effective effects. I don't think the 1940s audiences were stupid -rather, I think the audiences today have been dumbed down. Propaganda movies weren't so that audiences would hate the enemy. I have a feeling they already did. They were done to keep up the morale during a very difficult time in this country. "Northern Pursuit" isn't particularly representative of the genre. When you consider the number of films the studios put out, they had a very high number of excellent ones. Okay, so this isn't one of them.