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The Promised Land

Play trailer 2:02 Poster for The Promised Land R Released Feb 2 2h 7m History Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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97% Tomatometer 127 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.
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The Promised Land

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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.

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Critics Reviews

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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 Diana Tuova Spotlight on Film For all its lapses in portraying romance, The Promised Land is still an inspiring, relentlessly gritty tale of one undying determination, an indomitable will to achieve the impossible against all odds. Rated: 4.5/5 Aug 26, 2024 Full Review Robert W. Butler Butler's Cinema Scene Terrific cinematography (Rasmus Videbaek) and utterly convincing production design (Jette Lehmann) mark this intimate epic. Rated: B Jul 5, 2024 Full Review Ray Pride Newcity Thrilling, shapely, pleasingly nasty epic, a ravishing Danish Western with savagery in its trim bones. Mads Mikkelsen is the sulk center screen, handsome visage made for melodrama... Pride kills; Mikkelsen thrills. Rated: 10/10 Jul 4, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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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 John S Beautiful cinematography and well acted. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/17/24 Full Review Simon S Every scene like a baroque painting. Excellent piece of art. Though, too excessive violence and undecided ending. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/09/24 Full Review Tim G Beautifully shot, with a compelling and occasionally brutal examination of pride and persistence. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 11/09/24 Full Review Avindu G An end of an era marked by a one man's army with feudal blood in veins and feudal foot on his throat. A provocative portrayal of the gradual change. A fitting end to a tyranny. Advancements assisted by vagabonds when noble customs unfairly bend. All these great things were performed meticulously by the cast. Great background music and audio effects that tells the story when the moor is dark secluded but awake. Perfect cinematography. Between many period dramas that focuses on literature this movie manages to produce another Robinson Crusoe tale of courage, love and loss that's simply a joy to watch. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/26/24 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

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
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