Mad for Mads: 10 reasons to love Mads Mikkelsen
Sunday, December 20, 2020 at 10:00PM 
Denmark's latest Oscar submission, Another Round, is now available to watch on VOD. The feature stars a cadre of stupendous Danish thespians, led by Mads Mikkelsen, one of the country's biggest names internationally. From his beginnings as a supporting player in indie flicks to mainstream gigs as portentous villains, the actor made fans of many a cinephile and charmed even more unsuspecting moviegoers. To celebrate the release of his latest project, I decided to take a look at the career and life of Mikkelsen, enumerating 10 reasons why I love the actor…
MURDEROUS CHEMISTRY
Bryan Fuller's Hannibal is one of my most beloved TV series of the past decade, its epicurean look at Thomas Harris' characters so seductive as to become unnerving. At the center of it all, there's the chemistry between Mads Mikkelsen's Hannibal Lecter and Hugh Dancy's Will Graham, a pair whose mutual obsession often twists the horror show into becoming a sordid sort of murderous romance.
HE GIVES GOOD VILLAIN
The actor's bemusing intensity makes him an ideal choice for many a villainous part from the aforementioned Hannibal to his upcoming turn as Grindelwald. Best of all, he knows how to underplay malevolence, even when giving life to James Bond's foe in Casino Royale or Doctor Strange's enemy, using his stillness to draw the eye of the viewer, to project threat and confuse the audience's allegiance.
REFN'S MUSE
Maybe because he's so good at suggesting bloodshed without exploding in paroxysms of aggression, Mads Mikkelsen started his career as Nicolas Winding Refn's stalwart muse. The two made four features together between 1996 and 2009, often hyperviolent derangements anchored by the actor's stony presence. Pusher, their first collaboration, was the movie that made both of them famous in Denmark and its 2004 sequel earned Mikkelsen his first Bodil Award.
BIER'S BEST LEADING MAN
Like Refn, Susanne Bier is a Danish filmmaker I admire more than love. However, whenever Mads Mikkelsen is involved, the quality of the project increases tenfold, the actor's soulful subtlety a great vehicle through which Bier's melodramas find emotional modulation. His performance in the Oscar-nominated After the Wedding is especially impressive. In it, he turns a potentially outlandish premise into a painful storm of compromises, sacrifices, and strange familial bonds.
FESTIVAL DARLING
If you're a regular festival goer, you might have found yourself watching some obscure production just because it starred Mads Mikkelsen. Many of his films have played in the festival circuit and present a variety of cinematic approaches, from the mercilessness of Refn's fare to the surreal oddities of such flicks as Men and Chicken. Despite appearing in Hollywood blockbuster franchises, Mikkelsen never left the arthouse scene, creating a wonderfully varied filmography.
CANNES CHAMPION
Speaking of Mikkelsen's status as a festival darling, he's also won Cannes. In 2012, when Vinterberg's The Hunt played at the Croisette, the Danish performer conquered the Best Actor prize for his work as a teacher erroneously accused of molesting a child. The script and structure often simplify the behavioral particularities of the plot, flattening its more curious possibilities. Still, rising above all that, Mikkelsen delivers an astounding performance, far greater than the narrative that contains it.
THIS EXPRESSION
After his victory, Mads Mikkelsen was part of the Cannes main competition jury in 2016. While that year featured one of the best selections in recent memory, the jury's decisions were rather strange. In retrospect, it's insane that Toni Erdmann, Aquarius, and Elle won nothing while Xavier Dolan's widely panned It's Only the End of the World got the Grand Prix, a second-place honor. During the Canadian filmmaker's endless acceptance speech, the image cut to this close-up of Mikkelsen looking like he was regretting his jury decisions. It probably meant nothing of the sort, but it was a wonderful bit of schadenfreude that added humor to the Cannes closing ceremony.
THE FACE
When not being turned into a meme by Film Twitter, the Danish actor's face is one of the greatest marvels of 21st-century European cinema. With his sharp cheekbones and feline stare, Mads Mikkelsen looks both sensuous and menacing, a Greek statue whose eyes shine like the embers of hell. It's a peculiar alchemy of beauty and harshness, a soft appeal that's undercut by sharp severity. One of those faces perfect for the camera, it's able to hold our curiosity in prolonged close-ups, to illustrate emotion without much effort and be mysterious at the same time.
THE BODY
As much as I love Mikkelsen's chiseled features, his smart body language is an even greater part of his work as a dramatic actor. Before he pursued this craft, Mikkelsen was a dancer and gymnast, activities that gave him a set of skills that he continues to use to deepen his screen characterizations. Notice how he adds nervous energy to Le Chiffre's portentous stillness, the precision of comedy bleeding into tragedy as Pusher's oft-naked skinhead, the brittle exhaustion suggested by his dragging feet in The Salvation, the calculated camaraderie of his priestly posture in At Eternity's Gate.
"WHAT A LIFE!"
We come full circle, returning to the reason for this write-up, Vinterberg's Another Round. Playing one of four high school teachers testing if constant intoxication will improve their lives, Mikkelsen delivers the performance of a lifetime. Like a boozy night followed by a cold morning, the actor takes us through a journey. From drunken buzz to a euphoria that fades into painful hangover, writhing on the floor and then looking for another drink, for dance, for another chance at life. The ending, in particular, is one for the ages, putting to great use Mikkelsen's dancing abilities. Give him all the awards.
If you're a fan of Mikkelsen, what's your favorite performance of his?
Reader Comments (19)
Give Mads the Oscar!
Very sad that he missed LAFCA. It was his best shot and he really needed it to follow the Banderas track.
I adore him. It feels kind of a cheat to say his work as Hannibal is my favorite - but he got to do so much with that across 3 years, and he did it so well, so I’ll go with that. Can’t wait to see Another Round.
Have he and Viggo worked together? They should.
Mads is awesome as I await for him and NWR to reunite and kick everyone in the ass.
Wow, this is the first time I hear somebody didn't like The Hunt.
Sexy as hell
He made a movie in the town where I live... and it's actually pretty good, starred by the always fantastic Javier Cámara (Talk to her) and Candela Peña... "Torremolinos 73", by Pablo Berger (Blancanieves). Search for it, and check it out, it's really worthy.
Another Round is such a great movie. And his performance is one of the best this year.
Damn talented, sexy and handsome. The Hunt, After the Wedding, Casino Royale, the second Pusher and Hannibal are my favs but I haven’t watched Another Round yet
The first thing I saw him in was After the Wedding, and I still think that's my favorite performance. First time I saw Sidse Babett Knudsen too. I've been a fan of both those gorgeous Danes ever since.
(Are there ANY ugly Danish actors? Serious question, as I'm re-watching Borgen.)
Nice piece, Claudio. And you really nailed the fascinating quality of his face, how it manages to be severe and sensual at once. It's like sculpture (those cheekbones!), yet still expressive. I could literally stare at it for hours and not get bored.
Also, co-sign Pam's entire comment. The only thing that would have made Borgen better is having Mads as a guest star on it.
After the Wedding is still my favorite Mads movie, but he's excellent in Another Round, which I just saw yesterday.
KLOWN - I'm presently torn between him and Ahmed as my favorite Best Actor contender of the year. Lindo and Boseman also put up a good fight. That category is amazingly stacked this year, maybe more than Best Actress, which is a rare scenario.
ScottC -- While I may prefer his work in ANOTHER ROUND, HANNIBAL will forever be my favorite Mads.
Lucky -- I've been an outlier regarding this movie since 2012. Don't understand all the love, though the cast is brilliant. Generally, I'm a bit of an agnostic when it comes to Vinterberg's appeal as a filmmaker.
John -- YES!
Jesus Alonso -- Thanks for the recommendation.
Rod -- Agreed.
Mirko -- Hope you enjoy him in ANOTHER ROUND when you do catch up to it. His last scene is one for the ages.
Pam -- I don't think so, regarding your last question. I haven't seen any that springs to mind, at least.
Lynn Lee -- Thank you for the kind words. It's really a face perfect for the film camera.
Thank you all for the lovely feedback. Let the Mads fans unite in joy over this new tour-de-force.
I am disappointed that critics haven't yet rallied for his ANOTHR ROUND performance because it's really special.
Had to be nominated for the Hunt!
whom he would not play for me is an absolute feast of the senses
No one has mentioned those beautiful lips of his...wow!
A Royal Affair was the first I ever saw of Mads, then Exit, The Door, The Salvation, Move On and Polar. Currently obsessed with devouring all his back catalogue. Exit kept me on the edge of my seat, as did The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman but A Royal Affair remains special... ♥️
I really love his sense of humor. The Green Butchers is my favorite. Hilarious!