[yasr_overall_rating]
In 1870s America, a peaceful American settler kills his family’s murderer which unleashes the fury of a notorious gang leader. His cowardly fellow townspeople then betray him, forcing him to hunt down the outlaws alone.
I spent some time last night with the writings of Andrew Thoma Jenson and Kristian Levring, who brought to life in the recently released movie “The Salvation” through Nordisk Film Studios. If you love the classic style of the spaghetti western, and you don’t mind a very predictable plot, watching this movie will be like wrapping up in a comfortable well loved blanket. Don’t expect any kind of plot twist, thought-provoking dialogue or surprise ending, it’s a very straight forward a + b = c kind of story. Paying tribute to the classic western with inspiration from the Nordic sagas, “The Salvation” takes place in the 1870’s American west. When immigrant settler Jon (Mads Mikkelsen) kills his family’s murderers, he unleashes the fury of notorious gang leader Delarue (Jeffrey Dean Morgan).
Jon is betrayed by the corrupt and cowardly community he lives in, and must turn from peaceful pioneer to vengeful hunter in order to slay the outlaws and bring peace to the town. Director Kristian Levring took great care in taking his audience to a very stereotypical wild west town to tell the story. It’s everything a western should be, and then some. Lots of dirt, dust, mud, harsh weather, rugged terrain and guns…lots and lots of guns! Although I appreciate them, I am by no means a fan of classic antique guns, but for those who are, you’re in for a treat. If you don’t feel the need to take a bath by the end of the movie, you may not have been watching “The Salvation.” A good dose of greed and flat out crazy is stirred into the villainous character of Delarue to make sure the audience never doubts that he is completely unredeemable.
We learn early on that our hero Jon is a Nordic immigrant trying to work a homestead with his brother. He has been separated from his wife and son for 7 years. They remained in Norway while Jon came to the American West to build a better life for them. The polar opposite of Delarue, Jon is the ultimate white hat hero. Everything that can go wrong for Jon, does, but yet you know he will never give up. The people of the town are given very little to do, and poor direction. This makes the town scenes hard to watch. I never believe that it’s a real town. Perhaps a little more stage dressing, dialogue or realistic actions from the extras would have helped. Dialogue is not in great supply. In fact, one of the pivotal characters is mute. The action and drama are carried out in such a classic and vivid manor, the lack of dialogue is not a detractor from the film.
Much of the dialogue that exists is very cliché, but that adds to the charm and classic feel of the film. Immediately after the movie, I was ready to give it a poor rating and a shredding of a review. But then I realized that I was judging it unfairly. I was ready to tear it down for being cookie cutter predictable and considerably clichéd. I took a step back and gave “The Salvation” a second look. For the same reasons that people read a favorite book many times, or listen to a treasured album over and over again, anyone who enjoyed playing cowboys as a child will like “The Salvation.” Although there aren’t any Indians, there’s never any doubt that the cowboys are wearing black and white hats! The cunning, calculating vengeance that Jon is able to unleash on the Delarue gang makes all the tension and heartache dished out through the movie worth watching it to the end.
“The Salvation” will open on March 13th in Dallas at The Texas Theatre
