Flame & Citron
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?
Working with a tight budget of $6.5M, the film achieved a respectable showing with $10.0M in global revenue (+54% profit margin).
9 wins & 15 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Flame & Citron (2008) reveals meticulously timed story structure, characteristic of Ole Christian Madsen's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 10 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.0, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Bent Faurschou-Hviid (Flammen/Flame)
Jørgen Haagen Schmith (Citronen/Citron)
Ketty Selmer
Winther
Gilbert
Main Cast & Characters
Bent Faurschou-Hviid (Flammen/Flame)
Played by Thure Lindhardt
A ruthless resistance fighter and assassin who executes Nazi collaborators and informants in occupied Copenhagen.
Jørgen Haagen Schmith (Citronen/Citron)
Played by Mads Mikkelsen
Flame's older partner in the resistance, a family man struggling with the moral weight of killing.
Ketty Selmer
Played by Stine Stengade
A mysterious courier and potential love interest for Flame who may be a double agent.
Winther
Played by Peter Mygind
The resistance commander who assigns assassination targets to Flame and Citron.
Gilbert
Played by Morten Suurballe
A high-ranking resistance leader who gives orders and coordinates operations.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 2 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Flame and Citron operate as efficient resistance assassins in occupied Copenhagen, executing Nazi collaborators with practiced precision. Their partnership is established and effective within the underground network.. Notably, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 16 minutes when The resistance leadership orders them to expand operations and begin killing Danish informers and suspected collaborators, not just German officers. This shifts them from clear-cut targets to morally ambiguous executions.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 33 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 26% of the runtime. This shows the protagonist's commitment to Despite their doubts, Flame and Citron actively choose to execute a Danish businessman accused of collaboration. This irreversible act commits them to the murkier moral world where they must trust unseen handlers and kill their own countrymen., moving from reaction to action.
At 66 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Notably, this crucial beat Flame and Citron discover that some of their targets may have been innocent, possibly set up by double agents within the resistance itself. False defeat: their moral certainty is shattered, and they realize they may have been manipulated into becoming murderers., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 98 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Citron is killed in a shootout with German forces, dying in Flame's arms. The whiff of death is literal - Flame loses his partner and closest friend, the one person he could trust completely in a world of deception., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 104 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Flame learns the truth about Ketty and the extent of infiltration in the resistance. With new clarity about who the real enemies are, he decides to act independently, trusting his own moral compass rather than following orders blindly., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Flame & Citron's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping Flame & Citron against these established plot points, we can identify how Ole Christian Madsen utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Flame & Citron within the action genre.
Comparative Analysis
Additional action films include The Bad Guys, Puss in Boots and Venom: The Last Dance.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Flame and Citron operate as efficient resistance assassins in occupied Copenhagen, executing Nazi collaborators with practiced precision. Their partnership is established and effective within the underground network.
Theme
A resistance leader warns them: "In war, the line between right and wrong becomes blurred. We must be careful not to become what we're fighting against." This establishes the film's exploration of moral ambiguity in wartime.
Worldbuilding
Introduction to Nazi-occupied Denmark, the resistance network, Flame's family life, Citron's recklessness, and the chain of command. We see their methods, the dangers they face, and the ordinary lives disrupted by occupation.
Disruption
The resistance leadership orders them to expand operations and begin killing Danish informers and suspected collaborators, not just German officers. This shifts them from clear-cut targets to morally ambiguous executions.
Resistance
Flame and Citron debate the ethics of killing fellow Danes. They struggle with taking orders from handlers they've never met. Trust issues emerge, and they question who really controls the resistance and whether their targets are legitimate.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Despite their doubts, Flame and Citron actively choose to execute a Danish businessman accused of collaboration. This irreversible act commits them to the murkier moral world where they must trust unseen handlers and kill their own countrymen.
Mirror World
Flame begins an affair with Ketty Selmer, a mysterious woman with resistance connections. She represents the seductive danger of the spy world and becomes a thematic mirror exploring trust, betrayal, and the cost of secrets.
Premise
The "promise of the premise" - watching legendary resistance assassins execute increasingly daring hits while navigating occupied Copenhagen. Tension between their growing fame, operational security concerns, and deepening paranoia about who to trust in the network.
Midpoint
Flame and Citron discover that some of their targets may have been innocent, possibly set up by double agents within the resistance itself. False defeat: their moral certainty is shattered, and they realize they may have been manipulated into becoming murderers.
Opposition
Paranoia intensifies as the Gestapo closes in and internal resistance politics grow deadly. Ketty's loyalties become suspect. The handlers' orders become more questionable. Flame and Citron are increasingly isolated, unable to distinguish friend from foe.
Collapse
Citron is killed in a shootout with German forces, dying in Flame's arms. The whiff of death is literal - Flame loses his partner and closest friend, the one person he could trust completely in a world of deception.
Crisis
Flame mourns Citron and confronts the full weight of betrayal, manipulation, and moral compromise. He processes the realization that their heroic resistance work may have been corrupted by infiltrators using them as assassins for political purges.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Flame learns the truth about Ketty and the extent of infiltration in the resistance. With new clarity about who the real enemies are, he decides to act independently, trusting his own moral compass rather than following orders blindly.
Synthesis
Flame navigates the final days of occupation, attempting to survive and complete one last mission while evading both the Gestapo and compromised resistance elements. He synthesizes his assassin skills with his regained moral clarity to settle accounts.
Transformation
Flame faces his final fate, transformed from a confident resistance hero into a haunted man who understands the true cost of war - the loss of moral certainty, innocence, and the impossibility of knowing truth in a world of shadows and betrayal.