The Promised Land Review | A Classic Historical Epic with Mads Mikkelsen’s Swagger
Hollywood blockbusters may be getting longer (or perhaps bloated), but that doesn’t mean there have been many great epics in recent years. Just because a Marvel or Mission: Impossible film is 150 minutes long, it isn’t necessarily an epic. The Promised Land, a new Danish film by filmmaker Nikolaj Arcel, is only 127 minutes, but feels more epic in scope than most big studio pictures today. With its stubborn hero, vast landscapes, large supporting cast, dreamily romantic subplots, and lengthy span of time, The Promised Land is closer to David Lean’s historical popcorn epics (Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago) than an international arthouse film.