Flame and Citron (2008)
"Flammen & Citronen" (original title)

A drama centered on two fighters in the Holger Danske World War II resistance group.

Director:

Ole Christian Madsen

Writers:

Lars Andersen, Ole Christian Madsen

Stars:

Thure Lindhardt, Mads Mikkelsen, Stine Stengade

9 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Thure Lindhardt	...	Flammen
Mads Mikkelsen	...	Citronen
Stine Stengade	...	Ketty Selmer
Peter Mygind	...	Aksel Winther
Mille Lehfeldt	...	Bodil (as Mille Hoffmeyer Lehfeldt)
Christian Berkel	...	Hoffmann
Hanns Zischler	...	Gilbert
Claus Riis Østergaard	...	Bananen
Flemming Enevold	...	Spex
Lars Mikkelsen	...	Frode 'Ravnen' Jacobsen
Jesper Christensen	...	Flammens Far
Lærke Winther Andersen	...	Cap
Peter Plaugborg	...	Lillebjørn
Martin Hestbæk	...	Storebjørn
Thomas Voss	...	Teddy

Storyline

During Nazi occupation, red-headed Bent Faurschou-Hviid ("Flame") and Jørgen Haagen Schmith ("Citron"), assassins in the Danish resistance, take orders from Winther, who's in direct contact with Allied leaders. One shoots, the other drives. Until 1944, they kill only Danes; then Winther gives orders to kill Germans. When a target tells Bent that Winther's using them to settle private scores, doubt sets in, complicated by Bent's relationship with the mysterious Kitty Selmer, who may be a double agent. Also, someone in their circle is a traitor. Can Bent and Jørgen kill an über-target, evade capture, and survive the war? And is this heroism, naiveté, or mere hatred?

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Plot Keywords:

resistance | nazi | traitor | danish | double agent | 

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Genres:

Drama | History | Thriller | War

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [dk]

Country:

Denmark Germany Norway France Sweden Finland Czech Republic

Language:

Danish German

Release Date:

28 March 2008 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

Flame and Citron

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

DKK 45,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$15,254 (USA) (31 July 2009)

Gross:

$145,109 (USA) (25 September 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Nimbus Film Productions, Wüste Filmproduktion, Wüste Film Ost

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min 45 min (3 part TV-miniseries)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Based on actual events that occurred in Denmark during World War II.

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Goofs

Citron picks up a British Sten SMG in the basement scene and fires it. A few seconds later he has a wooden stocked sub machine gun instead (the Sten had a steel framed stock) which looks like a Finnish Suomi SMG.

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Connections

Referenced in Vild med dans: Vals og cha-cha-cha, del 2 (2011)

User Reviews

Powerful, Intense & Disorienting

Based on a true story, this twisting tale of two second world war folk heroes of the Danish resistance unfolds with noir-ish intrigue. Atmospherically photographed on a fat budget, the film looks stunning but retains a gritty period realism.

The performances are universally strong and there is a real chemistry between the two central characters; Mads Mikkelsens' quirky Citronen, a twitching, sweaty bundle of amphetamine-fuelled nervous energy and his sole ally, the flame-haired, but relatively cool-headed Flammen (Thure Lindhardt).

This is a war film - but the war we experience here has a dreamlike, claustrophobic quality. This is a world of lies, paranoia and spiralling violence which threatens to erode our heroes moral certainty and destroy their sanity.

A buddy movie with echoes of "Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid" (without the jokes); "Bonnie & Clyde" (but with swastikas). There's even a little "Naked Lunch" thrown into the mix.

The first film I've seen by director Madsen has left me intrigued, impressed and hungry for more. Recommended 8.5/10