The Salvation

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The Salvation

R

2015

1h 29m

Drama

Western

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

72%

Tomatometer

82 Reviews

62%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

After shooting the man who murdered his wife, a Danish settler (Mads Mikkelsen) incurs the wrath of the man's brother (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), a ruthless land baron who rules their frontier town.

Critics Consensus

It's all but impossible to add anything new or fresh to the traditional Western, but -- thanks in no small part to Mads Mikkelson's performance -- The Salvation comes close.

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Brad Wheeler

Globe and Mail

04/24/2015

3/4

In an untamed world where hypocrisy is loud and where no one can be trusted, salvation is one's own business and actions speak louder than words.

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Peter Howell

Toronto Star

04/23/2015

3/4

Wild West vengeance gets a terrific homage and a bloody reckoning in this oater excursion ...

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Jonathan Romney

Observer (UK)

04/19/2015

3/5

It never transcends reverent pastiche, down to the hackneyed twang of Morricone-style guitars.

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Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

07/28/2025

4/5

Any temptation for dead weight and drag has been smartly trimmed, not only by the man-of-few-words acting, but also by the basic revenge story framework that always delivers in this genre.

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Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

08/25/2022

4/5

Yet the film has a unique feel and an intense visual flair that goes along with its violent self-awareness.

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Michael J. Casey

Michael J. Cinema

10/13/2021

2.5/5

There is a story buried under all this dirt and grime, and it is a fairly interesting one, but writer/director Kristian Levring doesn't seem too interested in it.

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Paul C

@PAUL161 Jul 13

Great film, actors and story. Shot in South Africa interestingly.

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Mitch S

@SwagoDiego2k May 26

I mean tons of these types of movies and that makes these hard. Overdone and has so many tropes withing them built in. This movie has those tropes absolutly. A trained man, usually by war is provoked and is forced to use his skills to exact revenge. To avenge the loss of everything important to him. Main man kills everyone and it's all wrapped yo nicely a d a new day is in the horizon for the hero. That os the case here 100% but this one has one major difference. If has Mads in it. That alone brings it up a notch. The brother is also a bad ass so that works well in the story. And the bad guys you really generate hate for, at least I did. Very Cliché bad guys of course but still by the end I wanted to see them get got by the hero. So all in all, considering everything I would recommend this movie if you like westers and Mads.

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Sheree B

@SBrea Apr 9

Quite horrific to think people actually lived in a time like this. Bloody, gruesome and basically lawless. Not always easy to watch, but a terrific revenge plot.

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Eswaran W

@Eswaran75 Apr 6

Eva Green in a western. Whats not to like.

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Bobby E

@RT23212962 Mar 31

You ever wonder why were pissed off all the time ? Watch the first 20 minutes oh this movie . Now think about how much of this you have digested in your lifetime without pukeing .

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Jeffrey P

@vanillavoodoo1 Mar 21

Really, just a competent cookie-cutter western with a familiar trope that doesn’t add anything to the genre.

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Kristian Levring

Director

Mads Mikkelsen

Jon

Eva Green

Madelaine

Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Delarue

Éric Cantona

Corsican

Mikael Persbrandt

Peter

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Critics Consensus: Focus is Sleek and Slick But Too Twisty

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Synopsis

After shooting the man who murdered his wife, a Danish settler (Mads Mikkelsen) incurs the wrath of the man's brother (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), a ruthless land baron who rules their frontier town.

Director: Kristian Levring
Producer: Michael Auret, Tracy Brimm, Marlow De Mardt, Sisse Graum Jørgensen, Kate Myers, Charlotte Pedersen
Screenwriter: Anders Thomas Jensen, Kristian Levring
Distributor: IFC Films
Production Co: Zentropa Entertainment, Spier Films, Forward Films
Rating: R (Violence Throughout)
Genre: Drama, Western
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 27, 2015, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 30, 2016
Runtime: 1h 29m