I watched Flame & Citron on 06.16.12 on Netflix instant. I've wanted to provide not only my opinion here, but the service of warning people about what is in a film. This film contains one scene of attempted rape, with no nudity and one sex scene, with a naked man and woman and no full nudity. That said, it is a very good film.
For those who aren't familiar this is a Danish film about Danish resistance fighters during WWII. It centers on two fighters, codenamed Flame and Citron, played by Thure Lindhardt and Mads Mikkelsen. Mads has had a bit of a career in English language movies. He is best known for his role as Tristan in King Arthurn and Le Chiffre in the James Bond reboot, Casino Royale. He plays Jorgen, the title's Citron, a quiet man caught up in war and pressured to return to his family. He grinds at you with his eyes and occasionally shocks you with sudden action.
These two actors head up a fine cast that you've probably never heard of. Along with Mads, Thure is a quite impressive actor. He steals you away from Mads' powerful showing and gives the film balance, often stealing the show. Other standouts include Stine Stengrad who plays Ketty Selmer and Christian Berkeley who plays the Gestapo chief, Hoffman. He might be familiar from such films as Valkyrie, Inglourious Basterds, and Miracle at St. Anna. Stine plays a courier who has a relationship with Flame. She really keeps you guessing, never giving away her real loyalties.
The writing of this film can be hard to judge. I can applaud the masterful plotting, twisting and turning and keeping you unsettled as to what's happening. The insertion of great moments that change and define characters nearly keeps you breathless in anticipation. But I do not speak Danish or German or any of the other languages that may have been spoken that I didn't know were. Thus, I cannot be sure, but this film seemed very well written and kept my attention despite its length. That said, I gave it an 8.5 for wit because it seemed to fit better with Five Minutes of Heaven and A Fistful of Dollars than First Blood or The Fighter.
The wisdom came to a 9 for me, because I couldn't justify putting it on the same level as The Freebie. It had just enough problems with its sexual mores to put it more in the league of Fright Night. The portrayal of the need to fight when confronted with evil versus the complicated nature of war and wartime loyalties really deserves note. It dispels the notion of the good ol' days when you knew who your enemy was. It shows the good and bad in both sides much like OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies.
As for wonder, I chose to give it an 8.5. It does not make bad choices in terms of music or cinematography, but very little is done that is extraordinarily brave or different. This makes it very much in line with Five Minutes of Heaven, Flashbacks of a Fool or Flipped. I suggest this movie to most who can stand a movie with subtitles, but anyone who knows me knows I'm a sucker for WWII films.
For those who aren't familiar this is a Danish film about Danish resistance fighters during WWII. It centers on two fighters, codenamed Flame and Citron, played by Thure Lindhardt and Mads Mikkelsen. Mads has had a bit of a career in English language movies. He is best known for his role as Tristan in King Arthurn and Le Chiffre in the James Bond reboot, Casino Royale. He plays Jorgen, the title's Citron, a quiet man caught up in war and pressured to return to his family. He grinds at you with his eyes and occasionally shocks you with sudden action.
These two actors head up a fine cast that you've probably never heard of. Along with Mads, Thure is a quite impressive actor. He steals you away from Mads' powerful showing and gives the film balance, often stealing the show. Other standouts include Stine Stengrad who plays Ketty Selmer and Christian Berkeley who plays the Gestapo chief, Hoffman. He might be familiar from such films as Valkyrie, Inglourious Basterds, and Miracle at St. Anna. Stine plays a courier who has a relationship with Flame. She really keeps you guessing, never giving away her real loyalties.
The writing of this film can be hard to judge. I can applaud the masterful plotting, twisting and turning and keeping you unsettled as to what's happening. The insertion of great moments that change and define characters nearly keeps you breathless in anticipation. But I do not speak Danish or German or any of the other languages that may have been spoken that I didn't know were. Thus, I cannot be sure, but this film seemed very well written and kept my attention despite its length. That said, I gave it an 8.5 for wit because it seemed to fit better with Five Minutes of Heaven and A Fistful of Dollars than First Blood or The Fighter.
The wisdom came to a 9 for me, because I couldn't justify putting it on the same level as The Freebie. It had just enough problems with its sexual mores to put it more in the league of Fright Night. The portrayal of the need to fight when confronted with evil versus the complicated nature of war and wartime loyalties really deserves note. It dispels the notion of the good ol' days when you knew who your enemy was. It shows the good and bad in both sides much like OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies.
As for wonder, I chose to give it an 8.5. It does not make bad choices in terms of music or cinematography, but very little is done that is extraordinarily brave or different. This makes it very much in line with Five Minutes of Heaven, Flashbacks of a Fool or Flipped. I suggest this movie to most who can stand a movie with subtitles, but anyone who knows me knows I'm a sucker for WWII films.
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