The Salvation (2014) - Candidate for greatest western of the twenty-first century - 10/10 (28/08/19)

The Salvation is a Danish western and while this might sound surprising at first sight, The Salvation is easily the best western I have seen in many years and a solid candidate for western of the decade or even of the century. The story revolves around a quiet Danish farmer named Jon Jensen who welcomes his wife and son in the United States of America after years of separation. On the night of their arrival, the peaceful farmer gets savagely beaten up by two thugs. They then proceed to rape his wife in front of their son before killing both of them. Jon Jensen takes his revenge but soon learns that one of the criminals was the brother of an influential local land baron who now plans to kill Jon Jensen. Since the local land baron controls the town and people close to Jon Jensen, he can only rely on his brother and needs to be extremely careful to survive. It soon becomes obvious that either the local land baron or the Danish farmer has to die to end the conflict.

There are numerous elements that make this movie great. The story is very emotional and gritty but always remains realistic and easy to follow. The settings look absolutely splendid and especially the dirty oil town where the land baron lives with his thugs looks memorable. The camera work is detailed, epic and precise. The atmospheric soundtrack enhances the movie's sinister atmosphere. The action scenes are authentic, gripping and tough. The movie doesn't overuse special effects and goes back to the stylistics of classic westerns from the sixties. The acting performances are absolutely splendid. Mads Mikkelsen who incarnates the quiet protagonist underlines once more that he is one of the greatest contemporary actors. Jeffrey Dean Morgan plays a charismatic antagonist who really incarnates everything you might dislike about another person. Eva Green plays a silent femme fatale whose intentions aren't always clear and whose development throughout the movie is truly intriguing.

I have thought long and hard about negative sides of this movie but there simply aren't any. This western is enjoyable from start to finish, not only for western fans but for anyone who likes excellent cinema with vibrant action scenes, intense atmosphere and interesting characters. The Salvation proves that the western genre isn't gone and forgotten yet but can still be entertaining and vibrant in the twenty-first century without denying its roots and style.