The ever magnetic Mads Mikkelsen delivers yet another awards worthy turn in “The Promised Land”, a Danish historical drama based on Ida Jessen’s book “The Captain and Ann Barbara”. Directed and co-written by Nikolaj Arcel, “The Promised Land” is the kind of sweeping period epic that doesn’t come around much these days. There’s a classical form to its storytelling yet its sturdy framework allows Arcel to push a few boundaries.

Arcel and his co-writer Anders Thomas Jensen set their story in 18th century Denmark where a proud war veteran, Captain Ludvig Kahlen (Mikkelsen) has returned home after 25 years of military service which included fighting in the Silesian Wars. Ludvig is a patriotic yet ambitious man whose love for country is only outdone by his desire to be recognized by it. Though left to live in a crowded poorhouse for vets, his desire is to gain the attention of the king and be granted status among the society’s elite. And he has a plan to do it.

In order to get things rolling Ludvig will need to do some persuading. He presents his plan to the king’s royal cabinet and seeks their permission to establish a colony in the treacherous heath of Jutland. It’s a vast and forbidding part of the country noted for the brutal elements, barren soil, and violent outlaws who terrorize those who dare venture into it.

Though considered untamable, Ludvig is convinced he can earn the favor of his king by building the first heath settlement. He even agrees to finance it with his meager captain’s pension. All he wants in return is “a noble title, along with an estate manor and servants.” The rulers agree (for their own self-serving reasons) and soon Ludvig is setting out to stake his claim.

After finding a patch of land, Ludvig goes looking for workers to help him get up and running. But finding laborers willing to risk the heath is no easy task. Among the few he gathers is a young couple, Johannes (Morten Hee Andersen) and his wife Ann Barbara (Amanda Collin) who we learn have been on the run from a cruel land baron. They’ve remained hidden thanks to a good-hearted young priest named Anton (Gustav Lindh) and now head out into the wild with Ludvig.

The ragtag group’s presence in the heath catches the attention of Frederik De Schinkel (Simon Bennebjerg), a rich and merciless nobleman who has declared the land his own. De Schinkel first tries intimidation and later coercion. But the steadfast Ludvig stands his ground. “It’s the king’s land. I work for the king.” This sets in motion the film’s fierce central conflict that quickly intensifies from posturing to all-out brutality.

From the very outset Arcel captures time and setting with impressive period detail. But it’s once we’re thrust into the heath that the film’s visuals are magnified. The harshness of the land is exquisitely realized through DP Rasmus Videbæk’s camera. But he also captures beauty in the stark rugged landscapes. Even more, Arcel and Videbæk often use the camera to paint striking visual contrasts between Ludvig’s arduous life on the heath and De Schinkel’s lavish excesses. Much like Ludvig’s lofty dreams of privilege juxtaposed with his much different reality.

Among the most compelling aspects of the story is Ludvig’s early delusions of grandeur. Despite the meagerness of his accommodations, Ludvig is stern and demanding, as if he’s living a life of nobility in his mind. He insists that his food be served a certain way and cooked to his strict specifications. He even names his new homestead King’s House, obviously named out of his loyalty to his king but perhaps also a reflection of his own blind ambition.

But reality can be a sobering thing. For Ludvig it comes at the hands of the very elites he has longed to be a part of. There’s also the addition of an abandoned child named Anmai Mus (Melina Hagberg) who adds some unexpected emotional layers to the story. Through it all Mikkelsen maintains a captivating presence. No one does steely and stoic like the 58-year-old Dane. And few can say as much through an ice cold, granite-hard stare. Arcel knows what he has in his star and uses him as an anchor for what is one of the year’s best films.

VERDICT – 4.5 STARS