The Last Viking (Den Sidste Viking)

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https://nordicfilmfestival.com.au/films/nor26-the-last-viking

Date Reviewed: 20/07/2026

My introduction to director Anders Thomas Jensen was 2021’s Riders of Justice. I remember watching a trailer before seeing it, and based on that trailer, expecting a hard-hitting revenge flick blending Death Wish with Sons of Anarchy. While I partially got that, I also got an unexpected high amount of humour, and a collection of quirky characters, reminiscent of the work of Martin McDonagh (In Bruges, Three Billboards) or The Coen Brothers (Fargo, The Big Lebowski). That blend of off-beat characters, humour, and violence that drove Riders of Justice is on display again in The Last Viking. The difference being that the trailer and marketing for this one results in the violence being the surprising aspect, rather than the humour. Or, if you’re a regular viewer of Jensen’s work, none of it is unexpected.

The Last Viking involves Anker (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) asking his brother Manfred (Mads Mikkelsen) to hide some stolen loot from a heist that Anker has basically conceded he is busted for. Telling Manfred that he is the only one that he trusts, Anker gives Manfred clear instructions on the process he would like followed. But from this early interaction, we learn that Manfred acts impulsively, and it is more of a condition than a habit.

After serving 15 years in prison Anker gets parole, and heads back home to see his sister Freja and Manfred, to reclaim his money. But upon arriving there, Freja informs Anker that Manfred’s condition has worsened, with him now suffering from dissociative identity disorder, and believing himself to be John Lennon. With that, he has suicidal tendencies if anyone refers to him as Manfred. But the most frustrating part for Anker, is that “John” does not seem to have the knowledge of where the money is hidden, as that is something only “Manfred” knows. Adding to this that Anker’s former partner, Flemming (Nicolas Bro), demands Anker’s money for no good reason, other than the fact that he has already spent his own share, and he’s a bit of an arsehole. With Flemming willing to use excessive violence to get it, the clock is ticking for Anker to get “Manfred” to help him without “John” killing himself. Moreover, there is an eccentric doctor wanting to try some unique treatment, a spiteful mis-matched couple hosting people at an Airbnb, a unique Beatles cover band who are seemingly at their best playing Abba songs, and the mystery of a missing person to be solved.

Jensen does well, giving enough airtime to all the subplots, giving them all an amount of closure, and tying all aspects into the main storyline. And while the use of music is crucial for certain elements of the story, and they do well to have a lot more of the music implied that actually played, which no doubt assisted in keeping the movie’s budget a lot lower.

The pacing is very effective, blending the different genres throughout the whole runtime of the movie, rather than having noticeable shifts in tone that are more jarring for the viewer. Considering the movie is less than 2 hours long, there are some characters that are not fully fleshed-out, but this is for the greater good of the pacing of the overall story; which I think was a wise choice. The exception being Nicolas Bro, who is both captivating and intriguing as Flemming. This is one character I could have used 5 minutes more with.

Watching any of Jensen’s movies doesn’t just introduce you to his style, but also a handful of his regular actors. There is probably no director that has such a high number of regulars in front of the camera. In fact, Deep Purple has had more line-up changes than Jensen has had with his cast list. So, he knows how to get good performances out of them. One of the best things about these actors is that they don’t just regurgitate the same character with a different name (looking at you Jason Statham) in each movie. With the exception of Lars Brygmann (Lothar) who played a similarly eccentric character in Riders of Justice, all the returning actors here are doing something completely different, and all their choices work.

The Last Viking is a big win for Anders Thomas Jensen, and those familiar with his style will not be surprised by his blend of dark humour, family drama, and violence. Yet the bigger winners might be those that are unfamiliar with his work and get to add a new name to the list of unique filmmakers that can pull off a movie like this.

Reviewed by Dion Gaunt