Salvation, The (2014) [Blu-ray]
Drama | Western

The mighty Mads Mikkelsen (Hannibal)unleashes a maelstrom of bloodshed in the Wild West in this white-knuckle tale of revenge. When he lays waste to the scoundrels who killed his wife and son, a Danish ex-soldier (Mikkelsen) incurs the wrath of a sadistic gang leader hell-bent on hunting him down. Exploding with eye-popping action, dazzlingly dramatic frontier landscapes, and a smoldering performance by Eva Green, The Salvation is a rip-roaring, blood-spattered saga of sin and redemption.

Storyline: In 1870s America, a peaceful American settler kills his family's murderer which unleashes the fury of a notorious gang leader. His cowardly fellow townspeople then betray him, forcing him to hunt down the outlaws alone.

Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov, March 13, 2015 -- Winner of the Audience Award at the Robert Festival, Kristian Levring's "The Salvation" (2014) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Seven7. There are no supplemental features on this release. In English and Danish, with imposed French subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

America, the 1870s. A Danish immigrant named Jon (Mads Mikkelsen, The Hunt) reunites with his beautiful wife and son. But on the way back to his home two bandits murder them and leave him for dead hundreds of miles away from the nearest town. Bleeding and barely able to stand on his feet, Jon eventually tracks down the men and kills them.

When the bodies are discovered, the brutal gangster Delarue (Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Watchmen) emerges and announces that one of them belongs to his brother. Then he orders the sheriff (Douglas Henshall, Orphans) of Black Creek to find the killer in the next two hours. If he fails to do so, Delarue and his men will start executing the people he has been elected to protect.

Meanwhile, assisted by his brother Peter (Mikael Persbrandt, In a Better World), Jon buries the bodies of his wife and son and then the two head to Black Creek to sell their house and land. The sheriff offers Jon a bad price for his property, but he accepts the deal, realizing that the sooner he leaves the area, the better. The suspicious sheriff then informs Delarue that Jon might be the man he has been looking for.

What happens next is hardly surprising. Delarue and his gang go after Jon and his brother and many men die. In the chaos, Jon also meets Madelaine (Eva Green, Cracks), the beautiful wife of Delarue's dead brother, who has been waiting for the right moment to steal his money and run away with it.

In North America Kristian Levring is probably best known for his involvement with The King is Alive, a very atmospheric film shot according to the strict principles promoted by the Dogme movement. The film was lensed by Jens Schlosser, who won Robert Award (the Danish equivalent of the American Oscars) for Best Cinematography.

Levring's latest film, The Salvation, is a brutal western which was again lensed by Schlosser. While its visual style is drastically different -- this film embraces just about all of the major aesthetics the Dogme directors avoided -- its atmosphere is actually quite similar to that of The King is Alive. There is something about its characters that also seems awfully familiar -- they ride horses and know how to handle guns, but having lost their faith in humanity they seem just as desperate and are frequently driven by their most basic instincts.

The story is straightforward and the finale very predictable, but the solid acting more than makes up for the lack of surprises. Mikkelsen, at the moment unquestionably one of the most impressive European actors, is wonderful as the angry Danish immigrant who has become a target after killing the two bandits. Morgan was also the right choice to play the nasty Delarue who wants his head. Green does not utter a single word, but is very convincing as the disillusioned wife of Delarue's dead brother. Only soccer legend Eric Cantona tries a bit too hard to be a meanie.

The Salvation is complemented by a great score courtesy of Kasper Winding (The Riot Club). Ennio Morricone's influence is easily felt, but the music has exactly the type of edge this film deserves.

Danish director Kristian Levring's The Salvation has just about everything one can expect from a solid western -- great characters, uncompromising action, beautiful visuals, and a fantastic soundtrack. I think that when it eventually reaches the United States, fans of the genre will like it a lot. This French Blu-ray release is probably not a good option for English speakers, but French speakers in Canada should be pleased with it. RECOMMENDED.

[CSW] -?3.3- This is one gritty western. This is not a spaghetti western. It is a well done Danish movie with enough gore and pain to rival any good western. Don't worry about it being foreign-made, or that it stars Mads Mikkelsen. If you like a down and dirty western, just watch it- no spoilers from me on this one.
[V4.0-A5.0] MPEG-4 AVC - No D-Box.


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