Flammen & Citronen (Flame & Citron) (The Flame and the Lemon)

2008

Flammen & Citronen (Flame & Citron) (The Flame and the Lemon)

Critics Consensus

The true story of the Danish resistance in WW2, though lengthy and sprawling, is gripping and competently made.

86%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 70

82%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 5,087
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Movie Info

This World War II-set thriller from Denmark concerns two members of the Danish resistance who team up on a series of missions to rub out Nazis.

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Cast

Mads Mikkelsen
as Citronen
Thure Lindhardt
as Flammen
Peter Mogge Mygind
as Aksel Winther
Stine Stengade
as Ketty Selmer
Peter Mygind
as Aksel Winther
Mille Hoffmeyer Lehfeldt
as Bodil
Christian Berkel
as Hoffmann
Lars Mikkelsen
as Raven
Claus Riis Østergaard
as Bananen
Flemming Enevold
as Spex
Jesper Christensen
as Flame's Father
Hanns Zischler
as Gilbert
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Critics Consensus: Funny People Is Ambitious But Uneven
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Critic Reviews for Flammen & Citronen (Flame & Citron) (The Flame and the Lemon)

All Critics (70) | Top Critics (27)

  • Madsen has acknowledged a strong debt to Pierre Melville's 1969 classic Army of Shadows. This one deserves a seat at the same table.

    Jan 15, 2010 | Full Review…

    Jonathan F. Richards

    Film.com
    Top Critic

  • It's fast-paced, stylish and thrilling. But it also raises one tough question.

    Dec 17, 2009 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

    Michael O'Sullivan

    Washington Post
    Top Critic

  • It winds its way through a tricky, fact-based plot that's sometimes reminiscent of film noir. At the center is a bewitching femme fatale whose allegiances and motives are less than clear.

    Dec 17, 2009 | Rating: 3.5/4

    John Hartl

    Seattle Times
    Top Critic

  • While it may not be a smorgasbord of red herrings and red meat, Flame and Citron is often chilling.

    Dec 17, 2009 | Rating: 2.5/4

    Joe Williams

    St. Louis Post-Dispatch
    Top Critic

  • Madsen makes the most of his budget, and he keeps pulling his camera back for long, visually sumptuous overhead shots.

    Nov 13, 2009 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

    Ty Burr

    Boston Globe
    Top Critic

  • [An] atypical and moody noir war film.

    Sep 9, 2009 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

    James Berardinelli

    ReelViews
    Top Critic
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Audience Reviews for Flammen & Citronen (Flame & Citron) (The Flame and the Lemon)

  • Jun 30, 2013
    Pretty much what the consensus describes, a little bit too lengthy but good drama nonetheless based on the truth story about the Danish resistance group in WWII. Flame and Citron and two of the top assassins of Nazis who struggle with their own lives as the light in the tunnel became less bright. Though I don't think it was accurate, but the acting by two of my favourite actors: Thure Lindhardt and Mads Mikkelsen worked marvelously.
    Sylvester K Super Reviewer
  • Feb 16, 2013
    The astonishing Mads Mikkelsen and the brilliant Thure Lindhart join forces as Danish assassins targeting Nazis. The famous duo are handed orders and become expertly proficient at executing their orders. The script makes sure to enter real character struggles as each murder does weigh on their minds. The violence is handled with a shocking honesty that never feels acceptable, even if the victims are Nazis. The film takes a seriously dramatic and conflicting turn when we dicover that perhaps those giving the orders weren't exactly innocent and perhaps some of the targets weren't as bad as we had thought. It leads us to a number of brilliant shoot-outs which are handled in a way that is never obvious nor sentimental.
    Luke B Super Reviewer
  • Sep 18, 2011
    Rather dramatically inert and plodding film detailing members of an Anti-Nazi resistance in Denmark. The acting is uniformally excellent with Thure Lindhardt especially impressing, but there are too many drawn out scenes of near-impossible bullet dodging and an episodic feel that means the film never immerses as it should, though some geeky camera techniques are memorable. Perhaps having so recently watched the far superior <i>Army of Crime</i> I was unable to keep drawing comparisons. The finale is stunning, however.
    Daniel P Super Reviewer
  • Feb 22, 2011
    In "Flame and Citron," Bent(Thure Lindhardt, a cross between Eric Stoltz and Tilda Swinton) and Jorgen(Mads Mikkelsen, working the Peter Lorre sidekick role well) do their bit for the war effort in occupied Denmark by assassinating Nazi collaborators under the command of Aksel Winther(Peter Mygind) who gets his marching orders directly from British High Command. Such actions do not come without a price as Bent has a 10,000 kroner price on his head. Even then, he wants a shot at Hoffmann(Christian Berkel), the local Gestapo commander, but is denied approval. Meanwhile, Bent is rather curious why Ketty Selmer(Stine Stengade) knows his real name. "Flame and Citron" is a well-photographed movie that has a more ambiguous take on World War II than usual which ironically also ties the movie into knots, making it more convoluted than it had to be.(And the scenes involving Jorgen's family are completely irrelevant.) Such complexity does not extend to the title characters who are the simple heroes of the piece which conflicts with any intelligent attempt to explore the repercussions and motivations of politcal violence.(Anyway, "Love and Death" already beat this film to the punch.) Gilbert(Hanns Zischler) gives three very good reasons for people drawn to it. A fourth might include Bent's grandstanding while a fifth might be those who actually enjoy it. In the end, I'm wondering if Bent's spending so much time in the bathtub is supposed to link him to Jean-Paul Marat.
    Walter M Super Reviewer
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