The Salvation (2014)

The Salvation: Directed by Kristian Levring. With Mads Mikkelsen, Eva Green, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Eric Cantona. In 1870s America, the fury of a notorious gang leader is unleashed when a peaceful American settler avenges the death of his family. Then as his cowardly fellow townspeople betray him, he is forced to hunt down the outlaws alone.

“On the one hand, u0026#39;The Salvationu0026#39; is a classic western. Good citizens versus evil villains. A steam train. A stage coach. Horses. Lots of shootouts. Barren desert landscapes. A dusty frontier town. Name a western cliché, and itu0026#39;s there. Except Indians. Theyu0026#39;re only talked about in this film. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOn the other hand, this is also a western with original, non-classic elements in it. Lots of languages. Parts are spoken in Danish, but you can also hear Spanish and Italian from time to time. Plus: a very strong female character, who radiates power although she is mute. Thirdly: the South-African locations. Theyu0026#39;re not very prominent, because they look very much like the American West. But when you know it, you canu0026#39;t help but think about it. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe film tells the story of a Danish immigrant, who kills two men who raped and murdered his wife. One of them is the brother of a local outlaw, who terrorizes the town until the culprit is found. But the Dane, an ex-soldier, is not easy to capture and confronts the outlaw. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOverall, this film seems to be very much inspired by the Sergio Leone westerns. The visual style is superb, and director Levring uses every trick in the book. Aereal shots, slow motion, close-ups: itu0026#39;s all there. I was amazed by the colours in some scenes – it looked as if they were heavily digitally enhanced. The result is astonishing. And just when you think youu0026#39;ve seen it all, Levring surprises with a beautiful and, in a way, revealing end shot. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSergio Leone created the spaghetti-western. Maybe the time has come now for the smørrebrød-western.”