Michael Kohlhaas

Braveheart for more discerning viewers. The tangle of existential musings the protagonist goes through reminded me of a Shakespearean drama, but set in a seemingly simple revenge story. Pride, wrongdoing, anger, moral principles, (in)justice of the times. Unique and interesting editing, omitting lines in the story, relying on the audience’s involvement. Visually and acoustically engaging, creating a dense atmosphere through minimalism (the howling wind is more important here than the emotional musical passages, which are scarce). Mads Mikkelsen is amazing as always. (13.04.2016)

Age of Uprising: The Legend of Michael Kohlhaas is a totally awesome and properly made drama from the 16th century. It tells the story of revenge that doesn’t go unanswered. What makes the movie a bit more complicated is the manner of storytelling, which is pretty raw. It’s raw, often taciturn and it tells you a lot about the times. In general, it seems to me that the director really wanted to get as close to 16th century as possible. The characters don’t really speak much, they act. At the same time, you have Mads Mikkelsen here, who couldn’t possibly be more charismatic. I think you only come across a character this charismatic once per year. You simply look at him and you can sense gusts of wind brushing off his weathered face. I mean everybody would grow old quickly in those clearings where the movie takes place. Nevertheless, you will either fall in love with the film’s minimalism, or you will hate it for how boring it is. It worked for me, as I really liked the film. The film flows smoothly, it doesn’t rush things, but it rather manages to raise a whole number of philosophical questions not only about God, but also about society in general, which is a good thing. The user Salahadin unfortunately didn’t find any of that in the movie, which proves that it’s not for everybody. But if you accept the minimalism, the ending will knock you out. It’s actually one of the few moments where you get perfect minimalist music and the climax that shows Mads in the light of his ultimate acting performance and you will be left breathless in the last five minutes of the movie. Or at least that’s how the movie struck me. (10.10.2014)