Flame and Citron

After the Nazi invasion, Bent Flammen and Jørgen Citronen are ordered by their handler Winther to eliminate Abwehr agents. They debate against targeting Danes only to minimize German retaliation, but the mission proceeds as official instruction. The assignment sets the tone for the resistance's risky balancing of ethics and danger.

Bent carries out the hit on Elisabeth Lorentzen, but fails to kill Horst Gilbert and Hermann Seibold. The resistance experiences the growing risk of exposure as their targets include German intelligence assets. The failure intensifies the pressure on Bent and Jørgen.

Jørgen, his wife Bodil and daughter Ann celebrate Ann’s birthday in their car, highlighting their financial strain. Bodil reveals she is seeing another man, adding personal peril to their dangerous lives. The moment contrasts with the resistance’s clandestine world.

In a meeting with Spex from Danish Army Intelligence, they are told there will be no more attacks so a larger operation can be prepared. Bent and Jørgen decide to ignore the order and continue their activities. The disagreement underscores the tension between strategic restraint and bold action.

Following the tension with Spex, Jørgen shoots and kills Gilbert, escalating the conflict with the Abwehr. Bent continues to be involved, but the resistance’s actions increase the Gestapo’s focus on them. The killing signifies a turning point in their campaign.

That night, Jørgen robs a grocery store and brings the stolen goods to his family, attempting to ease their hardship. Bodil’s admission of seeing another man deepens the strain on their relationship. The line between resistance violence and personal desperation blurs.

After several resistance members are killed by the Gestapo, Winther suspects there is an informer among them. The suspicion sets off a dangerous game of mistrust within the resistance. The stakes of betrayal become personal for Bent and Jørgen.

Bent visits Ketty at her hotel and they have an intimate moment. Ketty then tells him she works for Winther and for Danish army intelligence, and that Winther is not working for the British. This revelation upends Bent’s assumptions about loyalties.

In a later meeting, Winther identifies Ketty as the informer and orders her death to prevent exposure. Bent and Jørgen realize they may have been maneuvered by a web of lies. The trust between resistance members continues to erode.

Bent and Jørgen search for Winther in a bar and discover that he has escaped to Stockholm, confirming that a trap has been set by the Gestapo. They manage to flee the ensuing pursuit and avoid capture for the moment. The chase exposes the danger of their networks across borders.

They decide to kill Karl Heinz Hoffmann, the Gestapo leader, and seize control of the Gestapo’s favorite restaurant. Bent aborts the plan when police approach, illustrating how close they are to discovery. The plan’s failure foreshadows the crackdown to come.

On the road, Bent, Jørgen and their group open fire on two cars bearing Nazi flags and tragically kill a father while wounding a child. Ketty flees to Stockholm fearing Hoffmann’s retaliation. The incident marks a brutal turning point in the resistance’s actions.

During a general round-up of the German-allied Danish police, Jørgen leaps a fence and is shot, and later dies defending a safe house. Bent evades capture briefly but ultimately, with Gestapo closing in, his courage gives way to despair. The resistance leaders are crushed in the crackdown.

Bent, back at his home, commits suicide with a cyanide pill as the Gestapo closes in. Hoffmann later rewards Ketty for helping capture Bent, and a letter from Bent is found, expressing his feelings and doubt about Ketty’s betrayal. The ending casts a stark light on loyalty and betrayal.

The film closes with notes about Bent and Jørgen’s legacy, honoring their resistance work and the costs paid. Their actions are remembered in Danish history, serving as a somber reminder of the price of resistance. The narrative ends with a memorial tone that outlives the characters themselves.