Revenge is best served cold. Bonus points if that cold is in deadly contrast to the scorching heat of the American West and its desolate prairie. Extra bonus points if it involves two opponents who could not have been cast more perfectly and fully live out her gigantic acting talent.
When you think of a western, you rarely think of a Dane and a Swede. But there they are, gun in hand: Mads Mikkelsen, Bond and Indiana Jones villain and one of the most fascinating actors of our timeand Mikael Persbrandt, blue-eyed and hardened. Their opponent: Jeffrey Dean Morgan in all his disgustingness, long before he took on the role of Negan in The Walking Dead.
The result? The Salvation. A revenge western that, despite its dirtiness, washed thoroughly. And you can currently watch it on Amazon Prime’s streaming service.
In The Salvation on Amazon Prime, Mads Mikkelsen loses everything and seeks bloody revenge
The vastness of the prairie. The sun that burns down mercilessly. Only a single small town that hardly deserves the name is within reach. This seemingly desolate landscape has become a new home for Jon (Mads Mikkelsen) and his brother Peter (Mikael Persbrandt). Because everything holds more hope than their old home Denmark after the warin which they served as soldiers.
After years of waiting, Jon’s family finally arrives in the USA. But just when everything seems to be going well, a fateful encounter and Jon loses everything. Without hesitation, he kills those responsible. What he doesn’t know is that the man he just shot leaves behind a brother and a wife (Eva Green), the local gang leader Delarue (Jeffrey Dean Morgan).
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Jeffrey Dean Morgan in The Salvation
Delarue has been blackmailing the town for protection money for years. He is a powerful and vengeful enemy who is now hunting Jon. The entire town is turning against him and his brother in desperation. All that is left for the two of them is to flee forward: they must turn the tables and from hunted to hunters become.
The Salvation is a hard revenge thriller with breathtaking images and a brilliant cast
The Wild West is a lawless place without heart or mercy, which in its wild beauty first promises hope, only to then take it away from us again in a cold-blooded manner. The Salvation illustrates this principle in every shot, every scene. Kristian Levring’s West is breathtakingly beautifully staged and yet infinitely heartless. Blood soaks the sand that you can almost feel it crunching between your teeth.
Everything here is based on the law of eat or be eaten. With Mads Mikkelsen and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, the choice of antagonists fell on two actors who could not have been more perfect. On the one hand, Mikkelsen’s rough charisma and emotional turmoil We are unconditionally on his side. On the other hand, Jeffrey Dean Morgan proved here long before his role as Negan how disgusting he can be.
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Mads Mikkelsen in The Salvation
Eva Green also shines as silent avenging angel and Persbrandt as a loyal brother, ready for anything. The film marches forward mercilessly, always towards one goal: revenge. Revenge through a bullet that is meant for Delarue. Revenge for a mistreated community, a dead family, lost lives. The Wild West is a lawless place without heart and mercy.
Anyone who wants to learn more about the Law of Vengeance from Mads Mikkelsen can do so in streaming subscription at Amazon Prime.
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