The Promised Land (2023)

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  ScreenZealots

  7 / 10

  Epic period film “The Promised Land” is a Danish historical drama styled like an old fashioned American Western. Adapted from the best-selling Danish book “The Captain and Ann Barbara” by Ida Jessen, director Nikolaj Arcel’s tells the story on a fittingly grand scale. It’s a brutal, bloody tale of savagery and ambition, a story of a man who must endure both the hostile elements of his surroundings as well as those from the ruling class.
  
  Set in 1755, the film tells the story of Ludvig von Kahlen (Mads Mikkelsen), a former soldier who is struggling. He arrives on the barren Jutland heath and is tasked with what could be an impossible goal: to build a thriving colony in the name of the King. If Kahlen can make a go of it he’ll not only become wealthy, but will also receive the ultimate goal: a Royal title for himself.
  
  Things are made more difficult for Kahlen when he becomes the enemy of the merciless sole ruler of the region, Frederik de Schinkel (Simon Bennebjerg), a tyrant who believes he should be the only man who owns the land. When he discovers Kahlen has taken in one of his former maids (Amanda Collin), it ignites a battle between the two that ends in the most barbaric fashion.
  
  It’s a complex story that covers a lot of ground, but Arcel handles the epic scale with competence and proficiency. Arcel and Anders Thomas Jensen‘s co-authored script incorporates historical elements with portions of romance and revenge, which are all brought together by the intense, commanding lead performance from Mikkelsen.
  
  “The Promised Land” is a demanding watch, but it’s not all doom and gloom. Arcel chooses to end on a surprisingly positive note, even if it may be nothing more than a fever dream.
  
  By: Louisa Moore for Screen Zealots

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