Movie Review: The Salvation

The Salvation

Release Date: March 13th 2015
Director: Kristian Levrin
Writer: Anders Thomas Jensen, Kristian Levring
Main Cast:  Mads Mikkelsen, Eva Green, Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Genres: Western
MPAA Rating: Rated R for violence throughout
Studios: IFC Films

Official Sites: Web | IMDb

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.

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My husband and I are huge western fans, so when I saw this movie up for review, I thought it would be good for both of us to watch as a couple. I mean, the first night we met, we were sitting on his couch watching Desperado. 

This was very much your typical western. Good cowboy vs bad cowboy gang, horses, leading ladies, corrupt townspeople, shoutouts...and the list goes on and on. The thing that set this western a part, though, was the different languages woven throughout the movie. The main character is Danish, but there is some Spanish and Italian woven in there as well. My husband and I were worried that we'd have to read subtitles the whole time, but it wasn't the whole movie and it didn't draw attention away from the film.

The best part of the movie was the scenery. It takes place in the American West, but it was shot mostly in South Africa. The bare deserts of South Africa were beautiful, and honestly, you couldn't even tell where they were. The cinematography with its different angles and shots really made you feel like you were in the movie with them. The actors were also good. I never felt like their acting was forced or didn't fit into the western genre. My favorite actress was Eva Green, who played a mute girl. She kicked butt in the end, that's all I can say.

Overall, it  was your typical western and the ending was my favorite part. It is not for kids and some of the scenes were a little too much for me to handle. If you like westerns, though, you will like this one.

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