The Salvation
IFC Films | Release Date: February 27, 2015 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
64
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews
Positive:
12
Mixed:
6
Negative:
1
Watch Now
Stream On
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
Total FilmJames MottramApr 13, 2015
Not the deepest western you’ll ever see, but it sure knows how to pack a punch (and fire off a round). Fans of the genre will get their kicks. Read full review
80
EmpireDamon WiseApr 13, 2015
The dirty compañeros of the old Spaghetti West ride again in this stirring tale of hate, murder and revenge. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaMar 13, 2015
The Salvation is severe and bloody stuff. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerFeb 27, 2015
For western fans, watching this movie is like encountering an old friend after a long absence. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comGlenn KennyFeb 27, 2015
A Danish revenge Western starring Mads Mikkelsen, is a very real movie, and it is directed by Kristian Levring (“The King Is Alive”), whose sensibility is a little more nuanced than that of the sensationalist Refn, which is all to this movie’s benefit. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyFeb 25, 2015
The Salvation never come across as a pastiche; the world of the spaghetti Western — that desertscape where filthy gunmen leer into frame and life is punctuated by sadism — doesn’t need winks or references to be appreciated, and Levring doesn’t offer any. Read full review
70
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzMar 12, 2015
Kristian Levring offers a brutally beautiful take on the Western in The Salvation, a film reminiscent of a song that sounds familiar but offers its own pleasures. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriMar 2, 2015
The Salvation is visually beautiful, morally down and dirty, and simplistic. But it’s marked by two haunted, quiet performances from stars Mads Mikkelsen and Eva Green, who make this otherwise predictable slog worthwhile. Read full review
70
The New York TimesManohla DargisFeb 26, 2015
This is, it’s worth remembering, a movie set in the American West that was shot in South Africa by a Danish director with a Danish star. In other words it’s another dream of America, feverish, lovely and absurd. Read full review
70
The DissolveMike D'AngeloFeb 25, 2015
It’s a welcome throwback, moving at a brisk clip and allowing its impressive cast to embody some cherished archetypes. Read full review
70
Village VoiceNick SchagerFeb 25, 2015
Emphasizing action over the spoken word, The Salvation doesn't break new ground, yet its murderous twists of fate are consistently compelling. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyMay 23, 2014
As in any classic Western, there are blunt pleasures to be had every time the tables are turned on men in black hats, as well as from direct, threat-loaded dialogue, meaningful looks, geometric arrangements of heroes and villains, and tense hunts for prey that play out both in rugged mountain settings and the tight quarters of buildings. Read full review
60
CineVueEd FranklMay 23, 2014
Nothing quite competes with the blistering opening scene, but The Salvation's cast of characters mean it's never less than a fun watch. Read full review
60
VarietyPeter DebrugeMay 23, 2014
There’s really only one ingredient for which The Salvation is likely to be remembered: Eva Green. Read full review
58
The PlaylistJessica KiangMay 23, 2014
A loving and in fact overly adulatory genre film which is not so much a take on the revenge Western as a deeply faithful recreation of it, at times so faithful as to veer dangerously close to pastiche. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleThomas LeeMar 5, 2015
The Salvation is one of those movies that deservedly (and desperately) requires a do-over. Unfortunately, what you see is what you get. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesBetsy SharkeyFeb 26, 2015
The movie has a few bursts of energy and invention — a cleverly executed jailbreak is one. But the story drifts and the pacing drags, failing to gather much steam until the final moments. Read full review
50
Entertainment WeeklyJoe McGovernFeb 25, 2015
Green is officially the world’s best actress in bad movies. Read full review
38
Slant MagazineJesse CataldoFeb 21, 2015
The film achieves nothing more than hollow caricature, too caught up in dumb dress-up pageantry to accomplish anything else. Read full review
More From This Movie

64 Critic Reviews

7.1 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL