I saw this for the first time recently after reading Coventry's review. If not for Coventry's review, i wudnt have stumbled upon this atmospheric n fascinating film.
Salem (Max von Sydow), a mental asylum inmate escapes from the asylum in the dead of winter n reaches his family farm, now run by his younger sisters n the husband of the elder sis. Salem kills all the people he believes responsible for his unfair conviction and subsequent confinement.
The film has oodles of atmosphere, the frozen locations, the sparsely populated area n the freezing n gushing wind.
Salem's escape plan is meticulously shown and viewers will root for his character.
I think Law Abiding Citizen (one of my fav revenge thriller) borrowed from this film.
Some may wonder why Salem killed Brit Torrens.
Salem's alibi in the case was Brit Torens, a young lover he was with when the farmhand was killed. Unfortunately, Brit did not speak up in court to clear Salem, instead protecting her own virginal reputation at the cost of his freedom.