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Cast: Mads Mikkelsen, Eva Green, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Mikael Persbrandt
Jon (Mikkelsen, Hannibal, Casino Royale, Valhalla Rising), a former Danish soldier who survived the 1864 war against Prussia and Austria, has moved to America's frontier to start a peaceful new life. It's now 1871 and Jon and his brother Peter (Mikael Persbrandt, The Hobbit) welcome Jon's wife and son to the New World. Unfortunately, things go very badly, and Jon winds up doing battle with Delarue (Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Magic City, Texas Rising), a brutal strongman who has the whole town in his pocket. The sheriff (Douglas Henshall, Outlander, Angels & Insects) looks the other way at Delarue's random killings, and the mayor/realtor/undertaker (Jonathan Pryce, Game of Thrones, Wolf Hall, Pirates of the Caribbean) simply sees profits in all the carnage.
I went into "The Salvation" thinking it was going to be just another western and story wise I was right for the most part but there are a few things that made this western really stand out. For starters and the first thing you are going to notice is the amazing and breath taking landscapes. The cinematography is simply gorgeous.
The second thing that stands out is the film's amazing cast. Mads Mikkelsen is just awesome as Jon, a man just wanting to bring his family home after getting back from the war only to have them killed at the hands of a couple thugs. Jeffrey Dean Morgan is at his best as well as Delarue, a very dangerous gang leader who holds the town in fear as he looks to take down Jon for the killing of his brother. And Eva Green gives a memorable performance as well.
Story wise I felt the film could have been a bit more polished but everything else including the brutal action scene more than made up for it. If you like a good western I highly recommend check this out. It was so much better than I expected.
Available on Blu-ray and DVD with Special Features that include:
Interviews
Behind The Scenes
Trailer
You can order the DVD HERE and the Blu-ray HERE.
Released by IFC Films
*** 3/4 Out Of *****