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Flame & Citron

Original title: Flammen & Citronen
  • 2008
  • Not Rated
  • 2h 10m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
21K
YOUR RATING
Thure Lindhardt and Mads Mikkelsen in Flame & Citron (2008)
ActionDramaHistoryRomanceThrillerWar

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

  • Director
    • Ole Christian Madsen
  • Writers
    • Lars Kristian Andersen
    • Ole Christian Madsen
  • Stars
    • Thure Lindhardt
    • Mads Mikkelsen
    • Stine Stengade
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.2/10
    21K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Ole Christian Madsen
    • Writers
      • Lars Kristian Andersen
      • Ole Christian Madsen
    • Stars
      • Thure Lindhardt
      • Mads Mikkelsen
      • Stine Stengade
    • 54User reviews
    • 82Critic reviews
    • 74Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 9 wins & 15 nominations total

    Photos16

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    Top cast52

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    Thure Lindhardt
    Thure Lindhardt
    • Flammen
    Mads Mikkelsen
    Mads Mikkelsen
    • Citronen
    Stine Stengade
    Stine Stengade
    • Ketty Selmer
    Peter Mygind
    Peter Mygind
    • Aksel Winther
    Mille Lehfeldt
    Mille Lehfeldt
    • Bodil
    • (as Mille Hoffmeyer Lehfeldt)
    Christian Berkel
    Christian Berkel
    • Hoffmann
    Hanns Zischler
    Hanns Zischler
    • Gilbert
    Claus Riis Østergaard
    Claus Riis Østergaard
    • Bananen
    Flemming Enevold
    • Spex
    Lars Mikkelsen
    Lars Mikkelsen
    • Frode 'Ravnen' Jacobsen
    Jesper Christensen
    Jesper Christensen
    • Flammens Far
    Lærke Winther
    Lærke Winther
    • Cap
    • (as Lærke Winther Andersen)
    Peter Plaugborg
    • Lillebjørn
    Martin Hestbæk
    Martin Hestbæk
    • Storebjørn
    Thomas Voss
    • Teddy
    Martin Greis-Rosenthal
    Martin Greis-Rosenthal
    • Heinrich
    • (as Martin Greis)
    René Hansen
    • Carl
    • (as Rene Benjamin Hansen)
    Jeppe Vig Find
    • Bob
    • (as Jeppe Find)
    • Director
      • Ole Christian Madsen
    • Writers
      • Lars Kristian Andersen
      • Ole Christian Madsen
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews54

    7.220.5K
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    Featured reviews

    7Davor_Blazevic_1959

    Neo-noirish WW2 drama about few Danish resistance fighters

    Another good movie, occasionally but steadily coming from Denmark, Flammen & Citronen (Flame and Citron, 2008), not necessarily belonging to the genre, but still shot in a good old film-noir style ("black-and-white" detective or other crime stories, a film genre with its hey-days back in 1940's and 1950's, nevertheless kept alive over the years, having its newer "offsprings" often related to as neo-noir, with the latest solid follower of the style, Shanghai (2010), American product directed by another filmmaker from Danish Scandinavian neighbourhood, Mikael Håfström from Sweden), based on the historically true story (with all the necessary fictional cinematic alternations) about the title hit-man and his driver, two among, apparently, very few but still existent resistance fighters in Nazi occupied Denmark, targeting at first only Danish collaborators, subsequently ordered to liquidate Germans, and, eventually, hit-man's girlfriend, getting themselves (and spectators along) ultimately confused in who their friends and foes are...
    8TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews

    Masterful

    I am very impressed, and pleasantly surprised. I do not know any of the other work of the director, but I will have to consider anything else I see his name attached to. My opinion of what we Danes manage to put together in the medium of film is hardly a secret... I tend to find myself underwhelmed. Before tonight, I only really considered two such recent features truly great(the more notable of those, in my view, being Murk), and, well... as cliché as it is, that number is now three. The plot is magnificent, and the twists so marvelous and unexpected. There is maybe one thread that I found unsatisfying, perhaps especially because of how much attention was paid to it, but that's it. The acting is excellent... the one bad performance was had by a kid, and it didn't need to be better than it was. Lindhardt and Mikkelsen haven't a single weak moment between them, and Mygind... thumbs up. The cinematography is spectacular, though I did find the, all in all relatively few, zooms a bit distracting, save for one or two(these may be a Scandinavian thing, something similar appeared in Show Me Love). The editing is effective... the action(do note that this is not a straight-on piece within that genre) works, the drama likewise, and the only real criticism I can come with in this area is that there are a handful of places where things could be clearer. The writing there is infinitely little to complain about, and a long line of positives about, including the psychology, the complexity, the characters(the consistency of which is almost entirely flawless, and the only real problem within that is really how at least one major character disappears from the movie) and the incredibly accurate depiction of the time, the environment, the types of people. This is remarkably engaging. There is a little sexuality, and some language, as well as a measure of violence, but I wouldn't call any of it gratuitous. You do need a basic knowledge about the period, the place and the people, before watching this, but hey, nowhere near as much is required as for Der Untergang/Downfall. I don't know if this is entirely historically accurate, but little, heck, hardly any, is Hollywoodized, and it's undeniably entertaining and strong. I recommend this to any fan of drama, and anyone who wants a visual representation of the situation this revolves around. 8/10
    8wetche

    Breathtaking

    Im usually not a huge fan of Danish movies but this one, however, takes it beyond that regular crap with cheesy endings and bad obvious acting. This movie has soul. The little things really have their part in this one and by paying attention to the details you get something you've never seen before.

    First of all, the acting. Thure Lindhardt and Mads Mikkelsen manages to make their parts more natural than I've seen in years. And for once they're not talking with a rhythmic, obvious-acting kind of tone but a real and honest voice. And after watching this one I truly understand why they call Thure The Man With The Thousand Faces.

    As for the directing, it is award-winning stuff. Ill be surprised if it doesn't win several prizes and important ones too.

    So if you read this, which I assume you do, go watch Flammen og Citronen. I can promise you intensity, honesty, love, bravery, hate, jokes and friendship all-in-one. This movies doesn't have those cheesy, dumb, ridiculous scenes but gives you something honest and pure.

    I would recommend this for movie of the year so far, if I have the power to do so. I love this movie and I admire it even more. 9/10
    9planktonrules

    Exceptional...

    This film about the Danish resistance reminded me an awful lot of Jean-Pierre Melville's brilliant film "L'armée des Ombres" (Army of Shadows), as both were true stories about the resistance to Nazi occupation and were great because they were well acted and without a lot of frills. Good, crisp direction, exceptional tension and excellence throughout--that's how I'd describe both films.

    The title of the film comes from nicknames given to two famous resistance fighters who specialized in assassinations--mostly of Danish collaborators but also, occasionally, Nazis. What made this all so interesting is that after a while, it really became uncertain whether the two were actually now killing the good guys instead of the bad. Who was an informer and who really deserved to die was tough for the audience to figure out--and it was also quite difficult for Flame and Citron. I liked this vague aspect of the film--as war isn't always 100% cut and dry.

    Overall, I have no negative comments about the film. It was exceptionally well made but unfortunately practically none of my fellow Americans will ever see the film, as sadly, most feel that it's too much trouble reading subtitles and would rather see a remake of "Friday 13th part 178"!! As for me, it just confirmed that the Danes have made some exciting films--such as "The Celebration" and "Babette's Feast"--and the Danish-Swedish co-production "Evil".
    7JamesHitchcock

    A Revisionist Resistance Drama

    British film buffs are often critical of Americans for their supposed indifference to foreign-language moves, but there are signs that the transatlantic phobia about subtitles has now spread to our own shores. Films from continental Europe were once fairly common on British television, but they have now all but disappeared from terrestrial channels, and even on specialist movie channels like Sky Movies, TCM and Film 4 they are few and far between.

    BBC4 is something of an exception. Following "The Killing" and "Borgen" that channel is currently having a love-affair with all things Danish, and it was there that I recently caught "Flame & Citron". It is said to be one of the most expensive Danish language movies ever, although the budget was only around six million pounds, peanuts by Hollywood standards. (Most Hollywood producers these days would pay out considerably more than that figure to meet the salary demands of just one of their film's stars). It is loosely based on actual events and deals with the Danish resistance movement during the latter part of World War II. The title refers to the code names of two members of the Holger Danske resistance group, Bent Faurschou-Hviid (known as Flame because of his red hair) and Jørgen Haagen Schmith (known as Citron, Danish for lemon, because he once worked for the Citroen car company).

    The film opens in 1943 when the tide of war is starting to turn against Germany, Hitherto the Resistance has largely confined itself to sabotage and assassinations of Danish collaborators. Flame and Citron now receive instructions from their controller, Aksel Winther, to pursue a campaign of attacks against the Nazi occupiers themselves, something the Resistance has previously avoided.

    Films about European Resistance movements made during the war or in the years immediately following it invariably had a simple moral structure. (I cannot recall any such movies actually set in Denmark, but there were numerous examples about other occupied countries, such as "The Day Will Dawn" and "The Heroes of Telemark", both about Norway, "One of Our Aircraft is Missing" about the Netherlands and "The Guns of Navarone" about Greece). The Resistance fighters are invariably shown as unambiguously heroic, as are their British or American allies, the Germans are unambiguously evil, and the local collaborators totally despicable. The film generally ends with our heroes having successfully performed some gallant feat of arms which will render invaluable assistance to the Allied war effort.

    "Flame and Citron" is quite different. Despite its World War Two setting, it bears more resemblance to a modern spy movie or to a neo- noir crime drama than a traditional "heroic Resistance" film. One might call it, on the analogy of the revisionist Western, a revisionist Resistance drama. There are no British or American commandos on hand to lend assistance. The attacks which Bent and Jørgen carry out are only of doubtful value to the overall Allied cause. Most importantly, the moral boundaries are more blurred. Flame and Citron suffer pangs of conscience over the killings they carry out and never know whom they can trust. Is Winther in league with the Germans, or is he in fact pursuing his own personal agenda by settling private scores? Is Ketty, the glamorous woman with whom Flame falls in love, actually a double agent? Will the attacks on the Germans contribute to the liberation of Denmark, or will they simply provoke German reprisals against Danish civilians? Are the Germans in fact all villains? One high-ranking German officer claims to be part of his country's own anti-Nazi movement, and even if he is lying this claim does at least draw attention to the fact that by no means all Germans were pro-Hitler.

    The atmosphere of the film is, despite occasional action sequences, subdued, with a muted colour scheme, symbolic of the dark shadows which Nazi rule had cast over occupied Europe. Although it does, I think, finally reach the conclusion that the Resistance effort was worthwhile in that the self-sacrifice involved played a vital role in enabling Denmark to preserve its sense of national honour, it does at least dramatise some of the moral dilemmas involved in active resistance to a brutal occupying force. Modern dramas from continental Europe about the war are not particularly common, but this is one well worth watching. 7/10

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      With a budget over $10 million, this is one of the most expensive movies made in Denmark.
    • Goofs
      When Citron, his wife and daughter are in the car on the beach, there are no wheel trails in the sand.
    • Quotes

      Gilbert: You are a Partisan. That's very interesting. A soldier without a front. Are you a good soldier? Are you prepared to pay the price?

      Flammen: What price?

      Gilbert: What do you think? Your life. You see, there can only be three reasons for fighting in a war. Firstly, career opportunity. It's widespread, but does not produce good soldiers. You have a fear of dying and only think of peace. Secondly, ideology. Love of the mother country. That is much more intriguing, but the dreamer breaks down. He doesn't have the strength. He's shallow. The frivolous and presumptuous nature of youth. Unless he's passionate; fanatical if you will. That makes for a good soldier.

      Flammen: And thirdly?

      Gilbert: Hate. Hatred of your enemy. Hate seduces you into doing things you never thought yourself capable of. Unless the hatred is caused by a personal neurosis...

      Flammen: What are you saying?

      Gilbert: The neurotic is intelligent and he has doubts. If he is betrayed, his hatred fades; and doubt sets in. War does nothing for the neurotic. The gentle loving father is not to be found in war. Your cause, Christiansen; is legitimate. Now, you must become a good soldier.

    • Connections
      Featured in DR2 tema: Året der kommer (2008)
    • Soundtracks
      Cheek to Cheek
      Written by Irving Berlin

      Performed by Svend Asmussen

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    FAQ20

    • How long is Flame & Citron?Powered by Alexa
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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 28, 2008 (Denmark)
    • Countries of origin
      • Denmark
      • Germany
      • Norway
      • France
      • Sweden
      • Finland
      • Czech Republic
    • Official sites
      • Official site
      • Official site (Denmark)
    • Languages
      • Danish
      • German
    • Also known as
      • Thế Chiến Thứ 2
    • Filming locations
      • Berlin, Germany
    • Production companies
      • Nimbus Film
      • Wüste Film
      • Wüste Film Ost
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • DKK 45,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $148,089
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $15,254
      • Aug 2, 2009
    • Gross worldwide
      • $10,186,084
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 10 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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