10 Years Later, One of the Best Modern Westerns is Finally Free to Watch (Mads Mikkelsen Fans, You Can't Miss It)

Summary

• The Western genre may no longer be able to impress with new ideas, but it still provides some great fun.
• For example, one of the best movies of the 2010s in this genre is a Danish Western starring Mads Mikkelsen.
• This movie is now available for free streaming.

For the past 10 years, Westerns have been on the rise, with more and more movies being released each year about the Old or New West and the lawmen and outlaws in cowboy hats who conquer its expanses. Just look at the hype surrounding the Taylor Sheridan movies and TV shows, or the upcoming Horizon series of feature films produced by none other than Kevin Costner.

But amidst all the novelties, reinterpretations, and revisionist approaches offered by contemporary filmmakers, it is difficult to discern something fundamentally new. Something that the legends of the Western genre such as John Ford, Sergio Leone, Clint Eastwood, Sergio Corbucci or Howard Hawks did not do in the 20th century.

But that doesn't mean we can't be impressed by new Western movies! Even if they follow typical revenge tropes and stories of lone vigilantes with guns, these films can at least please with their aesthetics rich in yellow and ochre filters, Ennio Morricone-like instrumental music in the background, and powerhouse acting.

Among the many, one of the undeservedly forgotten but definitely one of the best Westerns of the 2010s is the Danish film starring Mads Mikkelsen. Why not check it out, considering it can be streamed for free?

What Is This Movie with Mads Mikkelson About?

We are talking about the 2014 film The Salvation. It was directed by Kristian Levring, a close associate of Lars von Trier within the filmmaking movement known as Dogma 95. And it is Levring's avant-garde approach, synthesized with the stylistics of classic films of the genre, that makes this flick quite outstanding.

'Levring's film tips its Stetson to John Ford and Sergio Leone with bold widescreen visuals – daytime shots in which even the sun looks sunbaked, prairie nightscapes resembling ink-soaked denim,' Jonathan Romney wrote for The Observer in 2015.

While Romney was favorably impressed, he noted that 'it never transcends reverent pastiche.' This is true, but as we said, the lack of obvious innovation is not always necessary for a genre if it is saved by great cinematography and acting.

The story follows two Danish military veterans and settlers in the United States in the 1870s, Jon (Meckelsen) and his brother Peter (Mikael Persbrandt). One day, tragedy strikes Jon's life: a group of convicts murder his wife and young son, for which the protagonist takes violent revenge. But one of the killers turns out to be the brother of ruthless gang leader Henry Delarue (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), who will do anything to hunt down Jon and Peter.

Where and How to Watch the Movie?

The good thing about The Salvation is that it's not licensed to a particular service, so you can watch it in a variety of convenient ways.

Streaming for Free

• Pluto TV — Pluto TV is an ad-supported platform, but this is definitely a minor inconvenience.
• Kanopy — Kanopy, on the other hand, offers ad-free streaming of its library of movies and TV shows.

Streaming by Subscription

• Hulu — Hulu subscriptions start at $7.99 per month, but offer a 7-day free trial first.
• AMC+ — The movie is also available through this service. Prices start at $8.99 per month.
• Prime Video — The Salvation is also available on Amazon's own platform. However, you'll need to subscribe to AMC+ and Prime itself, which costs $8.99 per month after a 30-day trial.

Rent/Buy

But of course, the movie can be purchased for temporary or permanent use on a variety of platforms, including Prime, Apple TV, Google Play, and YouTube. It costs $3.99 to rent in HD quality and $12.99 to buy.

Source: The Observer.