47. The Promised Land (Bastarden); movie review

 

THE PROMISED LAND

Cert 15

127 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong violence, threat, injury detail, sex, very strong language

Is there a better all-round actor alive today than Mads Mikkelsen?

His face on a movie poster is akin to a quality guarantee and I am delighted to report that he enhances his already stellar reputation in The Promised Land.

This riveting thriller is set in the 18th century with Mikkelsen as its complex and uncompromising central figure.

Nikolaj Arcel's film is based very loosely on Ludwig Kahlen, a Dane who returns from serving 25 years in the German army with an obsession - to grow food and create a settlement in the bleak moors of Jutland.

Kahlen is portrayed as principled but naive - initially, his application for a licence to build on the land is turned down by the treasury, so he asks to speak to the king.

He then falls foul of the unhinged lord of the manor (Simon Bennebjerg) who is also the local magistrate.

The central element of the Promised Land is the jousting between the murderous lord and upstanding Kahlen, who is desperate for his own noble title.

The obstacles to Kahlen's success are considerable - from the poor soil and grim weather to the fevered and often brutal politics.

But he refuses to be intimidated, even as the pressure becomes horrific.

And he is supported by a tough housekeeper (Amanda Collin) and an impish gypsy girl (Melina Hagberg)

The Promised Land is bleak but brilliant and Mikkelsen proves he can do stoic superbly.

He helps turn the tale of a potato farmer into a truly gripping ride.

Reasons to watch: Intoxication period thriller

Reasons to avoid: Very violent scenes

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 8.5/10

Did you know? Mads Mikkelsen can speak Danish, English, French, German, Spanish. Swedish and some  Russian.

The final word. Mads Mikkelsen: "I knew Nikolaj was going to make an epic film, and I really embraced that because nobody does that in Denmark — for a lot of good reasons, especially the economic ones. I knew he could pull it off." A.Frame

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