The Promised Land (2024) Dir. Nikolaj Arcel

Director Nikolaj Arcel once again returns to 18th century feuds with collaborator Mads Mikkelsen, after the duo previously teamed up for Danish period drama A Royal Affair. But here they shift from elegant courtly romance to gritty rural back-stabbing in a fantastic film exploring legacy, family and duty.

Mikkelsen plays Ludwig Kahlen, a recently-retired army veteran who gains permission to try and cultivate land in the desolate Jutland moorland. Hoping to establish a colony he immediately has to face a ruthless landowner (Simon Bennebjerg as the very nasty Frederich Schinkel) who also claims ownership of the land.

The establishing narrative may seem ripe for a slow paced Euro-drama but although the beginning is certainly measured, the two men’s goals increasingly come into conflict and their confrontations raise the stakes making for fascinating viewing.

As they fight over the local workforce, Schinkel also has to deal with a less-than-keen bride-to-be whose betrothal is simply one of convenience. Kahlen isn’t immune to the tit-for-tat actions of this rivalry either. He illegally employs Romani travelers to toil on his farm and threatens a small girl from the group, reinforcing his military makeup even though this war is for harvesting.

Visually, The Promised Land is an absolute lavish feast for the eyes. Sumptuous multi-coloured manor house interiors are expertly lit with candles - Barry Lyndon-style. And the brutal rustic landscapes are captured in bleak muddy browns, but they also have their own natural elegance. And it is this gorgeous cinematography contrasting the opulence of the gentry against the stark windy heath that perfectly draws you into the two sides’ motivations.

The narrative continues with Schinkel torturing those below him, whilst his King John antics are in stark contrast to Kahlen’s Robin Hood community building. The duality continues as the death surrounding Schinkel is in opposition to the agriculture life Kahlen tries to nurture.

And a number of people he utilises to facilitate his personal employment plans, soon become a makeshift, and much-needed, family to him. Bringing as they do warmth and compassion to Kahlen’s cold and severe outlook. Sometimes screaming in frustration but never giving up the promise, there's both heartbreak and heartwarming going on in his life also. We witness the success of finally delivering a bag of potatoes to his sceptical commanders, as well as the gut-wrenching decisions he decides to make as well..

For me, Mads Mikkelsen is simply one of the finest actors working today. From villainous schemers (James Bond, Dr. Strange, Hannibal) to the put-upon everyman (The Hunt, Another Round), his striking looks combined with a dexterity to infuse each role with a captivating gruffness is once again on show here. Mikkelsen also has an uncanny knack to delve deep into the souls of isolated and tormented ex-military men (Riders of Justice) and he more than delivers in this film. 

And he’s helped by an excellent support cast who provide exactly the right subtle richness to help bring the audience into this very specific world. And Simon Bennebjerg as the vicious opponent is brilliantly vile and loathsome as he should be. Together the whole cast take some stock characters and give them real emotional weight as the film scrutinizes devotion, hope and commitment in all their forms.

But for me, it’s once again the magnificent Mads moments that take root in this story. A working man fighting a classist battle against the odds will never be the most original story, but The Promised Land is an engaging, thoughtful, emotional and hugely satisfying historic drama harvesting the many talents Mikkelsen has to offer.

★★★★

4 / 5

Michael Sales