At this point, calling Mads Mikkelsen a king of fictional villainy is no mere exaggeration.
Western media’s flaws aside, America has provided fertile ground for Mikkelsen to conquer almost every major franchise of note.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny marks his latest cinematic Mount Everest, but let’s be honest for a moment: most of these IP movies barely gave him any material upon which to wield his not-insignificant charms.
“But Hollywood villains aren’t supposed to be nuanced!” you cry.
I hear you.
To call an “evil to the core” Mads Mikkelsen performance unentertaining is a falsehood (translation: you don’t know how to have fun).
But for his best work in the shoes of a complicated bad guy — a mixture of outlandish black comedy, heart-in-throat unease, and pathos characteristic of the Cannes Award-winning performer — we turn to the year 2003 and Mikkelsen’s home country.
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