The western seen through fresh eyes

neil-476

Danish settler Jon brings his wife and son to the USA after 7 years' separation, only for them to be murdered by two men freshly released from prison. Jon kills the murderers, but one of them is the brother of a corrupt land baron who governs the local town with brutal ruthlessness: he wants Jon to pay, and Jon has only his brother Peter for support.

A plot synopsis makes it clear that the story of this film doesn't hold many surprises for any enthusiast of the traditional western: it is a tried and tested plot, and delivered here with great efficiency. No, the reason why The Salvation is interesting is that it is a take on the traditional western delivered by an exclusively Danish production crew, filmed in South Africa. The location passes adequately for picturesque prairie, but it is photographed with what I can only describe as a visual sensibility which is quite unlike what one is used to in westerns. I remember the impact of Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns (and, to a lesser extent, the totally non-American European western Shalako), and there is a similar effect here – as if the western is seen through different eyes. Some of the night scenes, in particular, are quite unlike anything I've ever seen in a western, and the sets look authentic but feel different and unusual.

The cast also adds to this somewhat oblique viewpoint. Jeffery Dean Morgan as the villainous Delarue is the only principal player who is American: Mads Mikkelsen is an excellent protagonist, Eva Green is effective as the mysterious Madelaine, and Brits Jonathan Price and Douglas Henshall, and Frenchman Eric Cantona also pop up to provide effective support.

I really enjoyed this.

score 9/10

neil-476 23 April 2015

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3225136/