The Salvation

The classic western story has been done again and again, a thousand times over. A hero is wronged, he seeks revenge, gunfights ensue, retribution is attained. It's a classic formula, and fuels countless films in the genre, even today. The tricky part is, getting all the elements right. The story is a blueprint, and all other aspects must be implemented skillfully for that blueprint to result in a worthwhile finished product. The Salvation gathers a wicked cast, a beautifully twangy, reminiscent soundtrack that brings a nostalgic tear to the eye, and stunning, drone and crane centred camera work to weave us a tale that kept me enraptured from start to finish. I haven't seen a western this gorgeously rendered since John Hillcoat's The Proposition, or as unforgiving and tragic on that note. Mads Mikkelsen stoically plays Jon, a Danish immigrant in the dust haven of America's west. Mikkelsen is an actor who can say more with two seconds of silent, eye twitching screen time than eight hundred pages of dialogue, making him the perfect fit for a tortured western protagonist. On the first day he is reunited with his wife and ten year old son, they are slaughtered by evil outlaws (an opening sequence of heart wrenching dread that will leave you with a dry mouth) prompting him to take swift revenge. They happened to be affiliated with the biggest, baddest gang boss gunslinger in the region, played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan. I've been waiting for Morgan to get a role worth his talent since Watchmen, and he takes full advantage of his ruthless prick character, injecting every moment with malice. The two are pitted against each other in a hard bitten, economically dry town with a bitter atmosphere appropriate to the depressing nature of the story. Caught between is mute Eva Green as Princess, a prisoner of Morgan's clan and survivor of maiming in her youth, at the hands of natives. Green has no dialogue, but can fill a scene with thunderous, glowering presence, and is one of my favourite actresses working today. All the elements mix perfectly, from story, which is standard but given new vital signs by the lush production design, acting and especially the score, a sadly meandering rhapsody that prompts dreams of tumbleweeds, tragedy and hard men doing bad things in the name of revenge.

If you like traditional westerns you will enjoy this film.

These days you don't get to see American westerns very often, so is nice to see that genre is not dead thanks to productions like this one from Denmark or others like The Dark Valley (Das finstere Tal).

Mads Mikkelsen plays the main character with great professionalism, without excesses. Same thing with Eva Green, portraying a scarred mute woman that talks only with her eyes.

You have the good guy, the VERY bad guy, the town full of cowards, the tormented girl, the backstabbing character. All the things you expect to find in a good old western. If you add to that the good performances, my only advice is, see this movie.

Saw this on premiere-night in Denmark and left the cinema relieved and with a smile on my face. Director Kristian Levring delivers a very believable, dark and uncompromising western set in a very classic western atmosphere.

The story is straightforward and although it moves along slowly at times (fast paced at others), it's quite intense and is generally beautifully shot.

If you're going for a feel good movie, this is not it, but if you like classic westerns, you'll enjoy it.

Mads Mikkelsen and Mikael Persbrandt deliver solid performances as the danish brothers Jon and Peter who've emigrated to America after fighting the Germans in the danish/German war of 1864. But for me, Eva Green steals the show as the mute Madelaine (princess). She has a very mystical and powerful presence and leaves you wondering, wanting more.

All in all a very enjoyable picture that is a great testament to how far danish cinema has come. This is quite uncharacteristic for a typical danish movie, but Levring really pulls it off and I think any lover of westerns will find this a solid addition to the batch of quality westerns in the past 10 years (The Proposition, 3:10 to Yuma, True grit, Django Unchained etc.) It doesn't quite reach those levels, but it's close and it's enjoyable.

this is probably one of the best western in years. It's a dark and harrowing film, a la "the proposition" or "unforgiven". This movie is not for the squeamish: innocent people are killed without a thought, and the film does a good job portraying the lawlessness and "anything goes" ethos of the times. Mads Mikkelsen is excellent as a hardworking taciturn Danish immigrant who's spent years trying to make a living in this land of opportunity. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes when he brings his family to the country, and then the rest of the film is basically about survival and revenge. At 1.5 hours, the pacing is good, and there are no unnecessary scenes or fat bogging down the story. Action scenes are realistic and very well done, and there's some pretty good cinematography throughout. All in all, a very well crafted and entertaining Western!

Good fun shoot em up Danish American tale of Western justice and revenge. A proper cowboy yarn.

Well worth the watch.