The Promised Land

Play trailer

2:02

The Promised Land

R

Released Feb 2, 2024

2h 7m

History

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

97%

Tomatometer

131 Reviews

95%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

In 18th century Denmark, Captain Ludvig Kahlen (Mads Mikkelsen) -- a proud, ambitious, but impoverished war hero -- sets out to tame a vast, uninhabitable land on which seemingly nothing can grow. He seeks to start farming crops, build a colony in the name of the King, and gain a noble title for himself. This beautiful but forbidding area also happens to be under the rule of the merciless Frederik De Schinkel, a preening nobleman who realizes the threat Kahlen represents to his power. Struggling against the elements and local brigands, Kahlen is joined by a couple who have fled the clutches of the rapacious De Schinkel. As this group of misfits begins to build a small community in this inhospitable place, De Schinkel swears vengeance, and the confrontation between him and Kahlen promises to be as violent and intense as these two men.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Mads Mikkelson leads us through the savage terrain of The Promised Land with a glimmer of hope in this epic Nordic tale with Western bones.

Read Critics Reviews

Stephen Romei

The Australian

There are times in the impressive Danish historical drama The Promised Land where Dr Lecter peeks from the eyes of the main character...

Rated: 3.5/5

Jun 27, 2024

Full Review

Tara Brady

Irish Times

The anti-immigrant and Romani sentiment expressed by Danes in 1755, although tinged with superstition, sounds eerily familiar. Mostly, though, The Promised Land, in common with its hero, ploughs a furrow as a rough-hewn costumed adventure.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 24, 2024

Full Review

Sergio Burstein

Los Angeles Times

The only problem here is that the whole ends up feeling a bit didactic and leaning towards the narrative style of Hollywood simplicity, yet does not take away from the power of a film that definitely deserves to be seen. [Full review in Spanish]

Feb 20, 2024

Full Review

David Bax

Battleship Pretension

This is clearly a high budget, professional production, the kind of thing Hollywood used to more regularly churn out for grown mainstream audiences who liked a little bit of class with their popcorn.

Sep 10, 2025

Full Review

Maxance Vincent

Film Speak

Arcel gives The Promised Land enough time to develop its characters inside a richly-developed and striking world, filled with evocative images from cinematographer Rasmus Videbæk, that immediately recall Sergio Leone’s tableaux of the West.

Rated: A

Jul 14, 2025

Full Review

Leonardo Garcia Tsao

La Jornada

The story is conventional, but at no time does it give off the stench of the old-fashioned. [Full review in Spanish]

Feb 10, 2025

Full Review

Read all reviews

Gray S

Fantastic, evocative, timely story, beautifully told.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/07/24

Full Review

Janis

Great story and actors. Very sad story but realistic about life in the 1700s . Written well.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/03/24

Full Review

Roger B

Great movie. Best I've seen in a while. Heart wrenching and evocative. Well worth the watch. Glad I stumbled upon it,

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/16/25

Full Review

Jeff E

Easily one of the best movies of 2024.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/13/25

Full Review

Mara D

This is one of the best movies I've seen in ages, an epic tale with historic significance. It is beautifully filmed, meticulously acted and directed, and a true beauty of filmmaking. The characters and the plot are constantly moving at a good pace. I wish more movies of this type were being filmed these days.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/29/25

Full Review

Justin S

Brutal to watch at times, but utterly superb.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/29/25

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Nikolaj Arcel

Director

Mads Mikkelsen

Ludvig Kahlen

Amanda Collin

Ann Barbara

Gustav Lindh

Anton Eklund

Melina Hagberg

Actor

Kristine Kujath Thorp

Edel Helene

The Last Duel

85%

81%

The Last Duel

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Last Duel

Mudbound

97%

85%

Mudbound

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Mudbound

The King's Speech

94%

92%

The King's Speech

Watchlist

Silence

83%

70%

Silence

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Silence

In Darkness

88%

81%

In Darkness

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

The Promised Land: Trailer 1

2:02

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

In 18th century Denmark, Captain Ludvig Kahlen (Mads Mikkelsen) -- a proud, ambitious, but impoverished war hero -- sets out to tame a vast, uninhabitable land on which seemingly nothing can grow. He seeks to start farming crops, build a colony in the name of the King, and gain a noble title for himself. This beautiful but forbidding area also happens to be under the rule of the merciless Frederik De Schinkel, a preening nobleman who realizes the threat Kahlen represents to his power. Struggling against the elements and local brigands, Kahlen is joined by a couple who have fled the clutches of the rapacious De Schinkel. As this group of misfits begins to build a small community in this inhospitable place, De Schinkel swears vengeance, and the confrontation between him and Kahlen promises to be as violent and intense as these two men.

Director: Nikolaj Arcel
Producer: Louise Vesth
Screenwriter: Anders Thomas Jensen, Nikolaj Arcel
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Production Co: Zentropa Entertainment
Rating: R (Brief Nudity|Bloody Violence|Language|Some Sexuality)
Genre: History, Drama
Original Language: Danish
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 2, 2024, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 23, 2024
Box Office (Gross USA): $256.3K
Runtime: 2h 7m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

Most Popular at Home Now