Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.0

The Promised Land Blu-ray Movie Review

Class warfare.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III August 16, 2024

Also known by its more visceral Danish title Bastarden, Nikolaj Arcel's The Promised Land is a supremely effective character drama whose time and setting and are both crucial to the story being told. Taking place in mid 18th-century Denmark, it concerns Danish officer Captain Ludvig Kahlen (Mads Mikkelsen) and his self-guided quest to cultivate a barren landscape within the Jutland moorland, also known as "the heath". Many more experienced men have tried and failed to establish settlements there, but this man of humble birth -- who only received his title after 25 years of service in the German Army -- is adamant in his quest and asks for a noble title, manor, and servants if he succeeds in growing crops. Normally, those in high-ranking political positions wouldn't permit a "low-level" person from even trying, but one of Kahlen's stipulations wins them over: he'll finance the project himself with his meager Army service pension.

Not surprisingly, Ludvig finds out that this can't possibly be a one-man job. The precarious status of a decently high-ranking military man born of "lesser blood" has naturally put him in defensive mode... so when Ludvig finds help in the form of farmers Johannes Eriksen (Morten Hee Andersen) and his wife Ann Barbara (Amanda Collin), he immediately establishes dominance over them, withholding a wage but at least providing them a private chamber is his newly-built house. Formerly under the care of local clergyman Anton Eklund (Gustav Lindh) who frequently checks in with them, Johannes and Ann are actually the property of local landowner Frederik Schinkel (Simon Bennebjerg), who has illegally claimed "the heath" as his own property and tries to impede Ludvig's cultivation efforts at every possible turn. A cruel and almost childlike man, Frederik also makes regular advances towards his live-in cousin Edel (Kristine Kujath), who later shows a reciprocated interest in Ludvig. Not surprisingly, this only intensifies the rivalry between both men, yet Ludvig overwhelmingly bears the brunt of Frederik's petty and increasingly inhumane tactics.

The narrative framework of The Promised Land initially promises man vs. nature, but soon enough it shrewdly reveals its second identity as a tense game of class warfare on multiple levels. Ludvig's got both sides to worry about, but his growing hatred towards Frederik and his men soon puts the Captain squarely on the side of "the little people"; Ludvig eventually warms up to both Johannes and Ann, and the addition of a newcomer -- foul-mouthed little Anmai Mus, who later joins their ranks from a wandering Romani tribe -- turns this one-man crusade into a makeshift family against the world. This motley crew will soon be directly threatened by Frederik, of course, while a love triangle later forms after the cruel death of a prominent character. Ludvig's internal struggle keeps things interesting all the while (as does the potential reality of him actually succeeding in his quest), yet The Promised Land is unflinchingly brutal during several long stretches, reminding us that "man's inhumanity to man" is often as dangerous as nature itself.

Needless to say, I enjoyed the hell out of The Promised Land... if "enjoyed" is the right word. This is an extremely confident and well-constructed film that works on multiple levels, expansive in scope and atmosphere yet also intimate and relatively easy to follow. (I'm sure I might have missed a few bits and pieces of cultural subtext here and there, but that means it might be even better than I give it credit for.) The infrequent but sporadically brutal violence is well-placed and suited to the story, and only one or two twists near the end seem either slightly out of character or a little overcooked for dramatic purposes. The Promised Land is more or less perfectly placed and stays interesting during the wide, wide majority of its 127-minute running time, enough so that I certainly wouldn't have minded even more time in its unique world. Keenly helmed by director and co-writer Nikolaj Arcel (who last worked with star Mads Mikkelsen on 2020's Riders of Justice) and based on a recent novel by Ida Jessen, The Promised Land is a rousing success from almost every perspective and absolutely worth seeking out unless you're scared to death of subtitles.

If you are, Magnolia's Blu-ray edition has you covered with an optional English dub (complete with separate "dubtitle" track), both of which I avoided on general principle. What it doesn't have is a 4K UHD option for this beautiful-looking film -- that's exclusive to a pair of international releases, neither of which are English friendly -- or any extras at all. Those might normally be fatal strikes against your average potential blind buy, but for The Promised Land I'll gladly make an exception: this may not exactly be a definitive release, but it's worth owning until we get one.

The Promised Land Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Magnolia Home Entertainment's Blu-ray of The Promised Land is pretty close to their 2021 release of the above-linked Riders of Justice (not to mention most of their home video output) in that it overwhelmingly looks very good with a few glaring exceptions. They just happen to be the same ones as usual: dark and extremely dimly-lit scenes, some of which produce light to moderate amounts of macro blocking and related encoding issues that stand in contrast to the relative beauty of almost every other moment. Perhaps it was the different setting, style of cinematography, or set design, but I didn't find these stray setbacks quite as distracting as usual, even though they do still stand out to a relative degree. There are still no shortage of highlights here, especially the lovely colors and ornate details on Frederik's palatial estate and other high-class environments, while the contrasting starkness of "the heath" is home to more organic textures like rocky soil, dry brush, and invasive heather. An abundance of natural light highlights many interior scenes while coaxing out a respectable amount of fine detail in faces, costumes, and background elements. So while this isn't quite a home run for obvious and expected reasons (which would have likely been more or less remedied by a well-authored UHD release), The Promised Land still stands as a fairly solid Blu-ray with no shortage of gorgeous scenery.

The Promised Land Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix, available in either the original Danish (my choice) or an English dub, follows suit with an alternatingly stark and forceful sound stage that amplifies in intensity at critical moments. Wind, rain, and other elemental effects are strongly portrayed and often reach well into the rear channels, while the crisply-recorded dialogue is primarily anchored right up front with excellent separation as well as occasional surround support in more cavernous interior locations. The low end gets plenty of time in the sun with percussive hits that dig deep, while the original score by multiple award-winning American composer Dan Romer (Beasts of the Southern Wild, Luca, and Dear Evan Hansen) adds its own flavor with an extremely wide dynamic range and frequently somber presence.

Two sets of optional English subtitles are included; one for literal translation and a second that suits the English dub. Please note that only on-screen establishing text and occasional background signs are translated, not small textural details and the opening or closing credits. (The film's title, on the other hand, is in English.)

The Promised Land Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with poster-themed cover artwork and no inserts. Disappointingly, no bonus features of any kind are included, only a handful of unrelated theatrical trailers for other Magnolia releases.

The Promised Land Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Nikolaj Arcel's The Promised Land is a potent and effective drama that's one of last year's best imports, so I'm glad that it earned an affordable domestic release. That said, Magnolia Entertainment's only option is this Blu-ray with a good but not quite definitive 1080p transfer and no real bonus features to speak of. However... seeing as how the only current UHD options are non English-friendly international discs, it's technically the winner by default. Bottom line: this is a fantastic film that's worth a blind buy and may one day be even better represented on home video.