In April 1940, King Haakon VII (Jesper Christensen) of Norway must decide whether or not to submit to the Nazis when they're in the process of taking over Norway. He tries to negotiate with Curt Bräuer (Karl Markovics), a German envoy whose commander is none other than Adolf Hitler. Norway had remained neutral throughout WWII, but now's the time for the king to make a crucial decision for Norway while potentially risking innocent lives. Crown Prince Olav (Anders Baasmo Christiansen) and his family have already fled Norway.

      Jesper Christensen gives an effectively commanding performance as King Haakon VII that helps to invigorate The King's Choice and ground it in a little much-needed humanism. The screenplay by Harald Rosenløw-Eeg and Jan Trygve Røyneland feels somewhat dry and pedestrian as though it were moving from Plot Point A to Plot Point B. Moreover, there's no levity to be found. Director Erik Poppe moves the film along in a brisk pace with shaky camera movements that occasionally result in nausea. Detroit suffered from that same problem. When will filmmakers finally learn to stop shaking the camera as a means to generate tension instead of trusting the tension that can already be found within its story and the characters' struggles? King Haakon VII is clearly under a lot of pressure throughout the film, so it's very fortunate that Christensen has enough acting talents to bring the character to life and to give him an inner life even when he's undermined by the dull screenplay.

      Everything from the set design to the costume design and lighting are all top-notch. However, there's an emotional hollowness and coldness to the film that makes it ultimately underwhelming in spite of its subject matter. More humanism, other than the humanism derived from Christensen's performance, would've helped. Although it's gripping more often than not, The King's Choice isn't nearly as moving or powerful as other political thrillers/dramas, i.e. The Lives of Others, or even the recent Viceroy's House.