Flame and Citron (2008)
Certified: 16
Duration: 130 minutes
Directed by: Ole Christian Madsen
Starring: Thure Lindhardt, Mads Mikkelsen, Jesper Christensen, Peter Mygind, Stine Stengade
KRS release
Based on fact, Flame and Citron was Denmark’s most expensive film in 2008.
Shot in a semi-noir style, Ole Christian Madsen delivers atmosphere and intrigue aplenty. The film has a sense of time and place that is enviable. A little trimming in the script phase would have removed some of the fat from the film.
From the start, the film sets the wheels turning in the right direction as in the opening reels it fills us in on Denmark of World War II under German rule and places us in the right context.
The title, Flame and Citron, refers to the codenames given to Bent and Jorgen (Thure Lindhardt and Mads Mikkelsen), two Danish resistance members who are hit men comfortable killing both German occupiers and Danish traitors. They sometimes decide who is to get killed but they mostly receive orders from higher above – one of the leaders of the Resistance who also receives orders from the British High Command. For Flame and Citron this is not a problem, as they are quite cool about their tasks.
In 1944 however, things are not so clear cut, as the Russians are advancing, the British want the resistance to act in concern with their plans and there are hidden agendas at play. Flame and Citron start receiving targets that are suspicious from unusual collaborators or from Germans they are usually sent to assassinate. That is when they realise that they may be the ones who are in actual danger.
Mr Madsen uses a dramatic directorial style combined with a matter-of-fact approach. It’s a very moody film that brings together the idea of men going about killing others, in a very business-like manner. These are men living in a country at war, performing acts which at other times would be considered a crime. It’s also about allegiances and alliances that can be easily broken or changed. This is very obvious once the end of the occupation seems to loom nearer – then it’s every man to himself. It’s all about principles and beliefs and how far one will stick to them in such harsh times.
The film’s strength lies in its direction, but also in the performances that the two main characters bring. Mads Mikkelsen who had also played a James Bond villain in Casino Royale is particularly intense as he deals with the double crossing, his inherent questions and the dangers that lurk around him. This gives the film a very psychological edge and an inherent darkness. It also impacts on the way these two interact with the people in their lives and the way an aura of secrecy has to be maintained at all times.
These are men who are forced to become something other than who they are; men who will have trouble in adapting to a life of peace. It all depends whether they will survive to see that peace.