Sunday, April 9, 2017

The Salvation (2014)

Jon (Mads Mikkelsen) is a Danish settler whose wife and son are murdered by two thugs just released from prison. Jon kills both in revenge. One of the ex-con's brother is Delarue (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), a gang leader who is working to remove the entire populace of Black Creek for Standard Atlantic Oil Company to bottle the crude that’s bubbling about town. Riding with Jon is his brother Peter (Mikael Persbrandt). Together they make a formidable opposition though Peter eventually sacrifices himself for Jon's safety. With every gesture, Mikkelsen pumps fresh life into the genre, and, here’s hoping there are more Westerns in his future. Eva Green plays Delarue's mute sister-in-law, Madelaine, who serves as his accountant and is sexually abused by him. Strong acting all around in THE SALVATION, but Ms. Green deserves extra mention for conveying such a wide range of emotion without any lines.

3 comments:

G. B. Miller said...

I totally agree with your review and most definitely about Eva Green. I don't think there is any other actress I can think off that could do an entire movie with simply facial expressions. She was very exceptional in Penny Dreadful, and this movie solidifies (in my opinion) her reputation as an actress who is heads above anything that Hollywood has churned out in the past few years.

David Cranmer said...

I've enjoyed her intensity, guess that's as good of a word as any, since Casino Royale. Makes sense she was the woman that broke Bond's icy, fickle heart.

Ray said...

Probably the best western I've seen of late. One moment made me add to the dialogue when the guy shoots up into the ceiling and gets doused with kerosene - 'Smoking kills.' Like everyone else Eva Green did a stand out piece of acting.