The Salvation (2014)

Mads Mikkelsen is Jon Jenson, a former Danish soldier who immigrated to the western United States to start a new life with his brother Peter. Jon has been separated from his wife Marie and his son Kresten for seven long years.

Now it’s time for a reunion, but the reunion turns into a nightmare when they wind up sharing the stage with a couple of ruffians who take a liking to his pretty wife.

With a gun at his wife’s head and a knife at his son’s throat, Jon is forced to jump from the stage.

He trails it on foot. He finds his son lying in the road dead. When he catches up with the stage, his wife and been raped and murdered. But he kills both of the men responsible.

It turns out that’s only the beginning of his troubles. One of the men was Paul Delarue, brother of vicious Henry Delarue (Jeffrey Dean Morgan).

He has the nearby town under his thumb. The residents pay him protection money, a fee he threatens to double if the killer of his brother isn’t found and delivered to him.

When one of the townswomen recognizes Jon as a passenger on the stage, he’s arrested and thrown in jail.

The town sheriff/minister understands why Jon killed the two men. But he’s also willing to turn him over to Delarue to protect the town’s other residents.

Delarue has already killed three people because his brother’s killer wasn’t arrested quickly enough for his liking.

Behind the scenes, there’s a reason for Delarue’s wicked ways. The town is sitting on an oil field, and a large company is encouraging him to acquire all of the town properties and surrounding land as quickly as possible.

The one wildcard: Madelaine, aka Princess, wife of the Delarue brother Jon killed. A lovely young woman, she had her tongue cut out when Indians murdered her parents.

She’s got a knack for business and a desire for money, but no desire to become Henry Delarue’s woman.

Mads Mikkelsen as Jon Jensen, seeing things going badly on a stage ride home in The Salvation (2014)

Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Henry Delarue, announcing new demands on the residents of Black Creek in The Salvation (2014)

Review:

The plot isn’t exactly ground-breaking. There are key scenes where you can pretty much predict what’s going to happen before it does.

But you know what? This Danish film made in South Africa is beautifully shot, well-acted, violent and gritty.

And all that adds up to one of the better recent Westerns you’re likely to find. Certainly heads and tails about most of the low-budget oaters being made in the U.S.

Fans might recognize the villain of the piece – Jeffrey Dean Morgan – from his recurring roles on “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Weeds.” More recently, he played Deaf Smith in the Western mini-series “Texas Rising.”

This film marked a reunion of sorts for Eva Green and Mads Mikkelsen. They played the Bond girl and the Bond villain, respectively, in the 2006 film “Casino Royale” starting Daniel Craig.

Eva Green as Madelaine, aka The Princess, watching Jon Jensen escape Delarue’s grasp in The Salvation (2014)

Mikael Persbrandt as Peter Jensen, sensing trouble at the homestead in The Salvation (2014)

Directed by:
Kristian Levring

Cast:
Mads Mikkelsen … Jon Jensen
Eva Green … Madelaine
Jeffrey Dean Morgan … Henry Delarue
Mikael Persbrandt … Peter Jensen
Douglas Henshall … Sheriff Mallick
Jonathan Pryce … Mayor Nathan Keane
Alexander Arnold … Voicheck Borowski
Eric Cantona … Corsican
Nanna Ohland Fabricius … Marie Jensen
Toke Lars Bjarke … Kresten Jensen
Michael Raymond-James … Paul Delarue
Sean Cameron Michael … Lester

Runtime: 92 min.

Jonathan Pryce as Mayor Nathan Keane, listening to Delarue’s latest demands in The Salvation (2014)

Douglas Henshall as Sheriff Mallick, tasked with finding the man who killed Paul Delarue in The Salvation (2014)

Memorable lines:

Delarue, after gunning down a third townsperson because his brother’s killer wasn’t found within two hours when he had asked town leaders to pick two people to die: “Now, sheriff, a tired old woman and half a man? That didn’t add up. That man’s death; that’s on you too.”

Voicheck Borowski , young man at general store, to Peter Jensen: “So the only two men who know how to shoot around here are leaving?”
Peter: “Guess so.”
Young man: “We could use people like you if we’re ever going to face that murderer.”
Peter: “Yeah, I was a soldier once, and it taught me a lesson. Don’t get into a fight you know you’re gonna lose.”

Nanna Ohland Fabricius as Marie Jensen, just arriving in the American West in The Salvation (2014)

Toke Lars Bjarke as Kresten Jensen, getting reacquainted with the father he barely knows in The Salvation (2014)

Jon, sitting in prison: “I won’t be the last man Delarue is going to kill around here.”
Sheriff: “Nope, probably not. But your death’s going to buy us some time … sometimes you’ve gotta sacrifice a single sheep to save the rest. I’m just a shepherd guarding his flock.”

Delarue to Madelaine, after she’s recaptured by his men after running away: “You know, Paul, he saved you from those Indians. But he never did straighten you out. God dammit. Now I gotta kill you.”
Corsican: “That’s a shame, Henry. We could take good care of her. There’s nothing wrong with her body.”
Delarue: “Once again, good fortune smiles down upon you, Princess.” He turns to his men. “Once you’ve all had your way with her, cut her throat.”

Jon: “What were you doing at Delarue’s place?”
Mayor Nathan Keane, also the undertaker: “Somebody had died. Everyone deserves a coffin, even if they aren’t going to heaven … I’m just trying to make a good living. I’m a businessman.”
Jon, after smacking him alongside the head with his rifle: “You’re not even a man.”

Mads Mikkelsen as Jon Jensen, looking forward to a reunion after seven years of separation from his family in The Salvation (2014)

Michael Raymond-James as Paul Delarue, developing lecherous notions about Jon Jensen’s wife in The Salvation (2014)

Eric Cantona as Corsican, a Delarue henchman sensing trouble above him in The Salvation (2014)

Alexander Arnold as Voicheck Borowski, the teenager whose grandmother is killed by Henry Delarue in The Salvation (2014)

Mads Mikkelsen as Jon Jensen, facing torture at the hands of Delarue in The Salvation (2014)

Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Henry Delarue, gloating over finally bedding his late brother’s wife (Eva Green) in The Salvation (2014)

Eva Green as Madelaine, aka The Princess, ready to defend herself in the Salvation (2014)

Mads Mikkelsen as Jon Jensen, ready to strike back at Henry Delarue and his henchmen in The Salvation (2014)