Flammen ("The Flame" because of his red hair) and Citronen (Worked for Citroën) are two of the most legendary figures in Denmark during the war, where they were members of the Danish resistance group Holger Danske, participating in spectacular sabotage actions and liquidating stitches. The movie is the most expensive Danish movie ever, and the 10 million $ budget also helps creating nice action scenes when the pair has showdowns with Gestapo officers. However, the movie seems to be made without inspiration. Even though the intrigues in the grey zone of contacts and unreliable agents and messages are well written, the story never gets really gripping or intense. It would have made the movie better if the casting had been done more thoughtfully. Thure Lindhardt lacks charisma as the hardcore red-haired main person, and Mads Mikkelsen turns Citronen into a clone of all other characters he's played. Their nemesis, Gestapo leader Hoffmann, is played well by Christian Berkel (the bald doctor from Der Untergang), as well as many other supporting roles are satisfactorily played. Besides, the movie isn't filmed in Copenhagen, where the story takes place, which makes the atmosphere even less authentic. Apart from that the plot works o.k, but the movie never catches the viewer's feelings. It's a fascinating subject, and it's therefore a disappointment that the movie isn't more moving than this
Review of Flame & Citron
