By Joanna Orland
Reuniting the cast and director of the vulgar Men & Chicken, The Last Viking shares some DNA with its predecessor, while establishing its own ideas. An absurd dark comedy that has a take on mental health, the film follows brothers Anker (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) and Manfred (Mads Mikkelsen) as they revisit their past and try to forge their futures.
After serving fifteen years in prison for bank robbery, Anker is released and wants to recover the stolen money he asked Manfred to bury years earlier. Manfred is in the midst of a mental health crisis and believes he is John Lennon. Having been diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder, Manfred is no longer able to remember where he buried the money as he joins Anker on a trip to their mother’s old house to find it.
Mads Mikkelsen and Nikolaj Lie Kaas Are Joined by an Eccentric Ensemble
Joining Anker and Manfred is an array of other characters, each struggling with their mental health in their own unique way. Margrethe (Sofie Gråbøl) and Werner (Søren Malling) are the couple who now own Anker and Manfred’s deceased mother’s house. Margrethe is hung up on her good looks as a former model, and seems to begrudge the supposedly disfigured Werner, who she’d prefer to leave for Anker. Meanwhile, Anker and Manfred have a sister Freja (Bodil Jørgensen), who often finds herself lonely and suffering because of the actions of her brothers.
At the heart of the story is Manfred and his gang of Beatles, or rather Beavers, which is what they’ve opted to call their motley band. As Manfred is briefly institutionalized early in the film, Anker meets a questionable doctor Kjeld (Lars Brygmann) who believes it best to alter Manfred’s reality to suit his delusion. After helping Manfred to escape the psychiatric ward, Kjeld also finds other patients who believe they are members of The Beatles. They find a fairly tame Ringo (Peter Düring), while the man who embodies Paul and George (Kardo Razzazi) hosts a hybrid of multiple personalities which also include Björn of ABBA and Heinrich Himmler.
‘The Last Viking’ Is an Exploration of Identity and Acceptance
There is a lot of talk of identity, abuse, and mental health, but the most prominent and poignant element of The Last Viking is its take on loneliness. No matter the issues or identities the characters take on, they find contentment together rather than apart. They need each other to feel accepted and loved, for whoever they are or want to be.
With such a meaningful core to the film, it’s quite ridiculous how gruesome and twisted The Last Viking actually is. It’s not on the same nauseating level as Men & Chicken, but it is tonally similar and obviously by the same filmmaker. The humor in particular stands out as being similar, irreverent in nature, and twistedly dark. It’s more violent than outright gross like its predecessor, but it still leaves an uneasy feeling when watching it.
Mads Mikkelsen Is Funny, but Also Vulnerable As Manfred
With such a bespoke tone, director Anders Thomas Jensen relies heavily on his cast to deliver his vision. With it being the sixth cinematic collaboration between Anders Thomas Jensen, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, and Mads Mikkelsen, everyone is clearly experienced in handling Jensen’s unique style. Once again, Mikkelsen in particular proves that he is not just a great dramatic actor, but he also has impeccable comedic delivery.
In the darkest of situations when Manfred is called by his birth name rather than “John”, he breaks mentally and throws himself out of a window, out of a moving car, or out of anywhere that is convenient. Mikkelsen’s deadpan delivery is quite a feat with such a strange script to parse, but he also manages to bring vulnerability and empathy to a rather bizarre character.
More sentimental and thoughtful than some of Jensen’s previous work, The Last Viking still has that brash bawdiness the director often fixates on. Part dark comedy, part heist film, part buddy comedy, The Last Viking doesn’t sit neatly in any genre, except “Anders Thomas Jensen.”
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The Last Viking
Directed by Anders Thomas Jensen
Starring Mads Mikkelsen, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Sofie Gråbøl, Bodil Jørgensen, Lars Brygmann, and Nicolas Bro
In UK & Irish Cinemas June 26th, 2026
