DVDs in Review

Flame and Citron

Title: Flame and Citron (2008)

Release date: June 29 2009

Certificate: 15

Format: Reviewed on DVD, available on Blu-ray

DVD RRP: £19.99

Rating: 4/5

This truth-based tale of a clan of Dutch resistance fighters during the Nazi occupation is propelled not by historical accuracy but by its expert filmmaking style and compelling central performances from the two leading men.

Thure Lindhardt plays Flammen, in charge of killing high-ranking Nazis (with more than a passing resemblance to David Bowie in his Thin White Duke persona). On a good day Flammen accomplishes his grim tasks with steel-eyed cool and complete dedication to anti-fascism. He won't kill women, however. 

Mads Mikkelsen (almost unrecognisable in contrast to his slick Bond villain in 'Casino Royale') is brooding, ready to snap, as Citronen - the getaway driver whose marriage is collapsing. He hasn't killed before, but soon he will. Soon after that the duo descends into a cavernous web of backstabbing, lost ideals and violence. No longer do they know who to kill or why.

'Flame and Citron' uses violence as a question, not a means to an end or plot development tool. Indeed, there is plenty of action (all fantastically staged and bluntly executed) and the film also ranks as one of the most expensive to ever come out of Denmark, but this isn't the point. It's what goes on before and after that makes the men.

Director Ole Christian Madsen has created a film that plays out almost like a wartime film noir. There's mistrust, femme fatales, shadows, fog, rain-swept streets and fractured leading men becoming more and more confused about their place in society. Then by the end, we become enthralled in codas reminiscent of 'The Great Escape' or even 'Scarface' that oddly don't seem out of place.

Impressively, 'Flame and Citron' balances both style and substance - the stunning cinematography and action sequences only revitalise the already overbearing moral questions.

A wave of similar films have been released lately, from 'Valkyrie' to 'The Baader Meinhof Complex', exploring the inner workings of the resistance fighter - all fascinating, and somewhat flawed. This could be the best of the bunch.    

The DVD from Metrodome contains interviews with the two principal actors and director as well as a trailer. Highly recommended even if war dramas aren't usually up your street.