Actors like Mads Mikkelsen don’t grow on trees. His charismatic presence is undeniable in all the projects they are involved in, and he manages to give strength to all those great American productions that manage to incorporate him. Nevertheless, His best works are usually in European cinema.
And they tend to be, above all, in their native Denmark. This is the case of ambitious local production The promised landa epic historical drama which offers a compelling story based on real events from the pre-industrial era in the European area. Nikolaj Arcel directs this acclaimed film that is released in streaming through Movistar+.
In 18th century Denmark, King Frederik V declares that the wild wasteland of Jutland must be cultivated and colonized so that civilization can spread and new taxes are generated for the royal family. But no one dares to obey the king’s decree. It is not until the end of the summer of 1755 when a lone soldier named Ludvig von Kahlen seeks to settle in the wasteland.
‘The Promised Land’ is an addictive and violent western with just enough blood and an impeccable Mads Mikkelsen | San Sebastian Day 5
Ludvig decides to follow his lifelong dream and go to the wastelands in the hopes that it will bring him wealth and honor. But what awaits him are highwaymen and voracious wolves wreaking havoc on the wild land. He then begins a fight for survivalespecially against the relentless nature.
Captain Ludvig von Kahlen was a real person, as were the Danish aristocrats and royals he had to deal with to get what you thought you deserved for his years of military service: a position as a nobleman. This leads him to a company as impossible as trying to make an uninhabitable land prosperous, which only manages to be good soil for growing potatoes.
‘The promised land’: prosper where nothing grows
That the adventure that The Promised Land proposes to us is that of this character trying to farm in no man’s land, living and collaborating with local people while clashing with ambitious and despicable nobles, gives the film overtones of a classic epic drama. A story that covers extensive periods of time and seeks to explore a man’s place in his land.
This powerful ‘western’ only lasts 1 hour and a half, has a great Mads Mikkelsen, and you can see it on Prime Video
It is an ambitious undertaking, and it manages to land properly because it has the best possible weapon for it: Mads Mikkelsen as the protagonist. His poise and his excellent work as a performer offer all the edges of a complex and fascinating character, although not always correct. The Danish actor is reason enough to be absorbed in these two hours of film.
You can see The promised land on Movistar+.
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