Winner: Best Actor (Mikkelsen), European Film Awards

In “the kind of ravishing, rousing epic we don’t really get much of anymore” (New York Magazine), the fabulous Mads Mikkelsen offers one of his finest performances as Captain Ludvig Kahlen, a proud, ambitious, but impoverished 18th-century war hero who sets out to tame a vast uninhabitable stretch of land. Unfortunately, that land belongs to the merciless, sadistic, and vengeful Frederik De Schinkel, and he doesn’t like sharing. Conflict ensues. Screen International calls it “an invigoratingly savage Nordic western…an expansive, sweeping epic with hope in its heart and dirt under its nails.” This is top-quality filmmaking with a strong script, excellent direction, and fine supporting performances, but the real treat is Mikkelsen, who has never been more compelling.