The Promised Land

The Danish Braveheart, or everything that we could have hoped for from a historical drama starring Mads Mikkelsen. A principled protagonist with good intentions, whom we identify with and understand, even with his faulty decision-making; the two women who love him (one platonically); an adopted vagabond girl who brings family values into the story; a villain whom we would gladly disembowel even at the risk of losing our own freedom. Most of the film’s runtime is filled with safe, predictable clichés, but the inner motivations and fortunes of all of the characters ultimately and meaningfully intersect in the cathartic and emotional climax with a nice intellectual reach. The Promised Land is a powerful film that’s worthy of the big screen. [San Sebastian IFF] (26/09/2023)

An excellent historical drama that grabs you by the balls. Mads Mikkelsen should ditch Hollywood, because there it's one misstep after another for him, but once he's in his native Denmark, it's usually a decent blast, and Bastard excels right out of the gate. The story focuses on Ludvig Kahlen, a man who has worked his way up from gardener to captain, and his dream is to build a colony in the inhospitable surroundings of the moors, with the coveted title of nobility as a reward when he achieves his goal. But he soon makes enemies. Nearby lives Frederik de Schinkel, a ruthless, arrogant lord who believes that this land belongs to him and not to the king, and gives Ludvig a hard time on more than one occasion. The first half is a bit of a getting-to-know-you kind of movie, but thanks to an attractive premise and great actors, the film holds your attention very well. Once the film switches to the second half, some very interesting things start to happen. The atmosphere, cruelty and barbarism of the time is captured very believably. Mikkelsen has to make a lot of tough decisions and overcome a lot of difficult obstacles to achieve his goal. There's one scene reminiscent of Sophie's Choice that decently manages to mine the emotions out of the viewer, and then there's one surprise after another, and a delightful little stealth action sequence. The film is so good that it gets by without battles and that's saying something, especially for for me. 85% (02/01/2024)

Great. Old-school attitude and Mads Mikkelsen's stubborn expression in a solid film with a great script that grabs you by the heart. Danish moors and beautiful shots of the rugged landscape. And, of course, there's one motherfucker you wish the worst for, wondering the whole time why the captain didn't put a bullet through his head right from the start. A great story with a strong conclusion and a worthwhile point. (05/01/2024)

It really seems that the Jutland heathland represents something exceptional and inspiring for Ida Jessen, as she can easily situate the story there in the 18th and 20th centuries. The true story of Ludvig von Kalhene (1700-1774), of course, differs greatly from the fictional and subsequent film version, but this certainly doesn't disrupt the viewer's experience. Zentropa (with generous support from Czech craftsmen) released a pleasing film, with Mads Mikkelsen as its main asset, and his fight for survival. It is all wrapped in drama cut from Diana Gabaldon's novels, the villain is very negative, the nobility degenerated, and the common people wear their hearts on their sleeves. A Royal Affair was good, and this is also a very gratifying viewer experience. (19/01/2024)

A gritty low-budget historical drama that can hold its ground compared to its Western friends. A fine Mads Mikkelsen as a soft-spoken retired captain, a great villain escalating the pissed-offness of both the protagonist and the viewer, and a magical landscape of Danish moorland wilderness, very impressively shot by Rasmus Videbaek. I expected a tougher finale, but it somehow fell into a romantic template, but it was not a big deal and Bastard retained its toughness and dignity. (20/04/2024)