Petter[3] is a commercial offshore diver in the North Sea during the 1980s. Norway is at the beginning of its program for oil extraction. Petter and his brother Knut have key roles in laying the first petroleum pipe in the North Sea.[4] Norwegians and Americans are cooperating in diving deeper than anyone previously has done, to prepare for the installation of a gas pipeline. Petter experiences a tragic accident during a test dive. When he later tries to find out what really happened, he finds that the authorities and his colleagues are trying to cover up the matter.[5]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 55% based on 44 reviews, with an average rating of 5.6/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Pioneer boasts strong acting and a throwback conspiracy thriller vibe, but fails to take it far enough, and is very slow about not getting there."[6] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 58 out of 100, based on reviews from 13 critics.[7]
^"Pioneer". TIFF. Archived from the original on 9 October 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
^Maugesten, Hanne Marie (9 August 2013). "Pionéren - Vi kan takke Magn Muledal og hans kolleger for velferden vår, mener Aksel Hennie. Han spiller nordsjødykker i ny, norsk film". Aftenposten A-magasinet (in Norwegian). p. 10.