The Salvation.

Now here’s a mouth-watering proposition: a Danish western directed and co-written by Kristian Levring, who was the fourth signatory of the Dogma95 movement, made by the Danish film company Zentropa Entertainments which was started by director Lars von Trier and producer Peter Aalbaek Jensen and which was responsible for over 70 feature films including The Hunt (2013) A Royal Affair (2013) In A Better Word (2010) Donkeys (2010) and most of Lars von Triers output. It gets even more lip smacking when you read the cast list.

 

The Husband Jon (Mads Mikkelson)

Out of the wreckage of the Danish defeat in the war of 1864 Jon (Mads Mikkelson) and his brother Peter (Mikael Persbrandt) crossed the Atlantic to forge a new future for themselves. For seven years they struggled to get a foothold in an unfamiliar land, seven years in which Jon longed for his wife Marie and their son. Seven years is a long time for any family to be apart. The year is 1871 and the country is America. 

Brother Peter (Mikael Persbrant)

The movie starts with Jon and Peter meeting the train carrying Marie and his ten-year-old son.  Peter stays in town while Jon and his family board a stagecoach that will take them to their new home on the outskirts of Black Creek. It’s when two recently released criminals board the coach that a nightmare begins that can only end in violence and death.   

Notorious Gang Leader Henry De La Rue (Jeffery Dean Morgan) 

Black Creek is run by Mayor Keane (Jonathan Pryce) who is in cahoots with an ex Injun fighter and notorious gang leader Henry De La Rue (a menacing Jeffery Dean Morgan) to buy up all the land surrounding the town. Also involved in these underhand goings on are the ineffective town Sheriff (played by Scottish actor Douglas Henshall recently seen in series one of Outlander) and De La Rue’s sister in law Madeline who was rescued from the Injuns minus her tongue (a totally delicious and smouldering Eva Green who is absolutely brilliant despite not having a line of dialogue to say)

 

Sister in Law Madeline (Eva Green)

Beautifully shot in South Africa by Jens Schlosser, this is homage to the classic western style made famous by Sergio Leone cross-fertilised with Fred Zinnermann’s High Noon (1952). A feature film so obviously made and acted with such great enthusiasm that’s its familiar format can be forgiven. Its traditionally authentic feel will keep you gripped, a Scandinavian movie experience not to be missed.

Beck: The Eye of the Storm.

When my wife visited her sister in Stockholm I could not let that opportunity past without asking her to bring back some Swedish DVD’s. The Scandinavians are, as we know, keen on their crime drama and generally its very well done as witnessed on BBC4 on most Saturday evenings. This DVD was part of a series of feature films and TV movies originally based on ten novels known collectively as The Story of Crime authored by husband and wife team Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo. Written between 1965 and 1975, all ten were turned into feature films and then the Swedish studios continued making movies based on the characters contained within the books. Martin Beck is a Swedish police Inspector and is portrayed by Peter Haber, his best detective Gunvald Larsson is played by well known Swedish actor Mikael Persbrant (In a Better World 2010) both have been in all of the 26 made for TV movies starting in 1997.  Beck: I stormers oga (2009) is number 25 in the series.

Gunvald Larsson as played by Mikael Persbrant.

The story begins with the discovery of young women’s charred remains. The Swedish Security Services (SAPO) is in charge of the case.  SAPO discover that Gunvald had met up with the dead woman the same day as she was killed and that there was an international police warrant out for her arrest. She was a known member of an environmental organisation who carries out terrorist action against selected targets worldwide. SAPO inform Beck that his top detective is suspected of being involved in the woman’s murder but Beck needs to keep Gunvald free to investigate both the killing and to discover the intended target. A race against time ensues.

Yes it does come over like a made for TV movie, and yes it has a similar formulaic approach as other Scandinavian neo noir crime drama but in fairness that’s not a bad thing. It’s an exciting drama with some decent set pieces and a charismatic leading actor in Mikael Persbrant. Perhaps in due course we may see episodes of Beck on British TV?