The Last Viking, Starring Mads Mikkelsen

This is sort of a Scandinavian Rain Man, but more hardboiled. Anker always tried to protect his emotionally fragile brother Manfred, until he went to prison for his part in a heist that went wrong. His absence clearly further destabilized Manfred, who now insists his name is John, as in John Lennon. Anker needs his brother sufficiently lucid to remember where he buried the loot, but to reach that point, he might need to get the old band back together in director-screenwriter Anders Thomas Jensen’s The Last Viking, which releases tomorrow in theaters and on digital.

Anker tried his best to protect Manfred from their abusive father, but that made him a target for the old man’s wrath, as well. Manfred escaped in his fantasy realm of Viking lore and dress-up, until their father prohibited such coping devices. Understandably, Manfred was never exactly stable, but Anker trusted him, because of their shared history. That is why he gave his brother instructions to recover the stolen loot and bury it in the woods behind their family’s old cabin.

Unfortunately, “John” has no idea what Anker is talking about. To make matters even more awkward, the former-Manfred exhibits suicidal tendencies whenever his Beatles identity is challenged. Nevertheless, Ankers hopes to cajole the location out of him, by taking a trip down memory lane. That ntails staying in the B&B operated by new owners, Margrethe and Werner. Lothar, the frustrated head-shrinker supports this plan, but he wants to take it to a new level. He suggests assembling a delusional Fab Four of Scandinavian mental patients so they can confront their identity crisis together. Meanwhile, Flemming, Anker’s former accomplice, wants his share of the loot and he never asks nicely.

Running just shy of two full hours, Last Viking drags on for far too long, especially considering we can see Jensen’s “surprise” revelations coming around the bend. However, it gives Mads Mikkelsen a chance to really stretch out in an unexpected direction, playing the twitchy and introverted Manfred/John. In contrast, Nikolaj Lie Kaas continues the low-simmering brooding that he perfected in the Department Q franchise.

In fact, the ensemble cast is loaded with recognizable Nordic faces, including Soren Malling (A Hijacking, 1864) as grouchy Werner and Nicolas Bro as thuggish Flemming. However, Jensen’s attempts to shift back and forth between inappropriate comedy and gritty crime drama produce a muddy, erratic viewing experience.

Mikkelsen does nice work portraying Manfred, but he largely just repeatedly hits the same emotional notes. Kaas invests the film with gristly dignity, but Jensen really needed several more drafts to better refine his themes and narrative. Unfortunately, the final product is a little too underbaked. Not successful enough to recommend, The Last Viking releases tomorrow (5/29), in theaters and on digital VOD.