Film Review – The Promised Land

Mads Mikkelsen has created a career out of playing steely men with fierce determination to achieve their goals. And he’s excellent at it, becoming one of the top actors working today, giving such hardness subtle emotionality while commanding the screen. He returns to business with “The Promised Land,” which finds Mikkelsen in a period piece, portraying a man of tradition ready to transform seemingly barren land into a farm, coming up against those who doubt his commitment and those who stand in the way of his success. “The Promised Land” is an adaptation of a book by Ida Jessen, and Mikkelsen reteams with his “A Royal Affair” director, Nikolaj Arcel (last seen with the 2017 misfire, “The Dark Tower”), for this examination of endurance in the world of agriculture and class divide. The material doesn’t boil over into sustained acts of violence, which feels like a missed opportunity, but Arcel sustains gripping drama during the run time, wisely leaning on his star to provide a nuanced sense of unease to boost suspense. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com