All Mads Mikkelsen Movies Ranked | Rotten Tomatoes

(Photo by Jonathan Olley /© Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Lucasfilm Ltd. /Courtesy Everett Collection)

All Mads Mikkelsen Movies Ranked

The striking Mads Mikkelsen got his start with brutal crime thriller Pusher, directed by fellow Danish countryman Nicolas Winding Refn. The success and notoriety of Pusher was enough to keep Mikkelsen working for years at home with dramas (Open Hearts), quirky comedies (The Green Butchers), and even a sequel (Pusher II).

But it was his turn as the mysterious blood-weeping Le Chiffre in renowned Bond reboot Casino Royale that got the world mad for more Mads. Valhalla Rising cemented his image as an international badass, while conversation-starting Certified Fresh films like A Royal Affair and The Hunt showed he was going to be a star without necessarily going the typical Hollywood route. In fact, he went straight to TV with Hannibal, a cult favorite of sinister elegance that nearly made him a household name. That along with turns in Rogue One and Doctor Strange virtually guaranteed the world’s population saw Mikkelsen at least once on their screens in 2016.

And now he’s having a winter of content with two ice-themed releases: Polar, where he plays an eye-patched assassin on Netflix, and Arctic, a one-man survival thriller shot in Iceland. As he brings the heat these weeks, we’re taking the time to sort all Mads Mikkelsen movies by Tomatometer! —Alex Vo

#26
#26
Adjusted Score: -1%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: D'Artagnan (Logan Lerman) leaves his home in rural France to fulfill his ambition of becoming one of the king's elite... [More]
Starring: Matthew Macfadyen, Milla Jovovich, Logan Lerman, Luke Evans
Directed By: Paul W.S. Anderson

#25
#25
Adjusted Score: 37856%
Critics Consensus: An obviously affectionate remake of the 1981 original, Louis Leterrier's Clash of the Titans doesn't offer enough visual thrills to offset the deficiencies of its script.
Synopsis: Perseus (Sam Worthington), the son of Zeus (Liam Neeson), is caught in a war between gods and is helpless to... [More]
Starring: Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Flemyng
Directed By: Louis Leterrier

#24
#24
Adjusted Score: 29308%
Critics Consensus: Shia LaBeouf clearly relishes his role in Charlie Countryman, but his efforts can't salvage the movie's shallow script and overstuffed direction.
Synopsis: In Romania, an American tourist (Shia LaBeouf) falls for the estranged wife (Evan Rachel Wood) of a brutal gangster (Mads... [More]
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Evan Rachel Wood, Mads Mikkelsen, John Hurt
Directed By: Fredrik Bond

#23

King Arthur (2004)
31%

#23
Adjusted Score: 37079%
Critics Consensus: The magic is gone, leaving a dreary, generic action movie.
Synopsis: In this interpretation of the classic tale, Arthur (Clive Owen) is a cavalry officer in the Roman army defending Hadrian's... [More]
Starring: Clive Owen, Keira Knightley, Ioan Gruffudd, Stephen Dillane
Directed By: Antoine Fuqua

#22
#22
Adjusted Score: 8151%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A gay married couple, Jacob (Mads Mikkelsen) and Jorgen (Troels Lyby), navigate through life's problems with varying degrees of success... [More]
Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Troels Lyby, Charlotte Munck, Jesper Lohmann
Directed By: Hella Joof

#21
#21
Adjusted Score: 47603%
Critics Consensus: Age of the Uprising is well-acted and skillfully composed; unfortunately, it crawls along too slowly to take advantage of its finer qualities.
Synopsis: In 16th-century France, a horse trader (Mads Mikkelsen) raises a peasant army and goes to war to exact vengeance on... [More]
Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Mélusine Mayance, Delphine Chuillot, David Kross
Directed By: Arnaud des Pallières

#20
#20
Adjusted Score: 55148%
Critics Consensus: It's well-acted and beautifully filmed, but Jan Kounen's dramatization of the affair between his famous subjects is curiously short on passion.
Synopsis: A passionate affair between two creative giants begins after French couturiere Coco Chanel (Anna Mouglalis) invites the destitute Russian composer... [More]
Starring: Anna Mouglalis, Mads Mikkelsen, Elena Morozova, Natacha Lindinger
Directed By: Jan Kounen

#19
#19
Adjusted Score: 63064%
Critics Consensus: The Green Butchers isn't exactly grade A, but this dark comedy carves some genuinely satisfying moments out of a story that finds genuine emotion in a gory premise.
Synopsis: The owners (Mads Mikkelsen, Nikolaj Lie Kaas) of an organic-meat shop attract unsuspecting customers with a special cut that is... [More]
Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Line Kruse, Bodil Jørgensen
Directed By: Anders Thomas Jensen

#18

Torremolinos 73 (2003)
70%

#18
Adjusted Score: 70577%
Critics Consensus: A light tale that's big on heart, this spicy snapshot of domestic sexuality in '70s Spain treats its wacky protagonists with enough gentle humanity to be delightfully entertaining.
Synopsis: Spanish encyclopedia salesman Alfredo (Javier Cámara) volunteers to make sex films with his wife, Carmen (Candela Peña), for a series... [More]
Starring: Javier Cámara, Candela Peña, Juan Diego, Malena Alterio
Directed By: Pablo Berger

#17

Adam's Apples (2005)
70%

#17
Adjusted Score: 70540%
Critics Consensus: Good and evil collide with interesting results in Adam's Apples, a dark Biblical allegory that's alternatively funny and shocking.
Synopsis: Following a stint in jail, Adam (Ulrich Thomsen), a former neo-Nazi, is temporarily assigned to live in a religious enclave.... [More]
Starring: Ulrich Thomsen, Mads Mikkelsen, Nicolas Bro, Paprika Steen
Directed By: Anders Thomas Jensen

#16
#16
Adjusted Score: 31550%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Four gangsters steal a fortune from their boss and hide out in a small farmhouse, where each comes to the... [More]
Starring: Søren Pilmark, Ulrich Thomsen, Mads Mikkelsen, Nikolaj Lie Kaas
Directed By: Anders Thomas Jensen

#15

Valhalla Rising (2009)
71%

#15
Adjusted Score: 72736%
Critics Consensus: Visually gripping and anchored by a magnetic Mads Mikkelsen, Valhalla Rising delves into violence and faith in brutally uncompromising fashion.
Synopsis: In 11th-century Scandinavia, an enslaved man dubbed One Eye (Mads Mikkelsen) because of an old facial wound stages a violent... [More]
Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Gary Lewis, Jamie Sives, Ewan Stewart
Directed By: Nicolas Winding Refn

#14

The Salvation (2014)
72%

#14
Adjusted Score: 75155%
Critics Consensus: It's all but impossible to add anything new or fresh to the traditional Western, but -- thanks in no small part to Mads Mikkelson's performance -- The Salvation comes close.
Synopsis: After shooting the man who murdered his wife, a Danish settler (Mads Mikkelsen) incurs the wrath of the man's brother... [More]
Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Eva Green, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Éric Cantona
Directed By: Kristian Levring

#13
#13
Adjusted Score: 89190%
Critics Consensus: Led by mesmerizing work from Willem Dafoe in the central role, At Eternity's Gate intriguingly imagines Vincent Van Gogh's troubled final days.
Synopsis: Famed but tormented artist Vincent van Gogh spends his final years in Arles, France, painting masterworks of the natural world... [More]
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Rupert Friend, Oscar Isaac, Mads Mikkelsen
Directed By: Julian Schnabel

#12

Men & Chicken (2015)
85%

#12
Adjusted Score: 87078%
Critics Consensus: Men & Chicken's bizarre setup only skims the surface of a challenging, well-acted comedy with a warm heart to match its grotesque visuals and dark themes.
Synopsis: Two outcast brothers get to know their biological family and discover the horrible truth about themselves and their relatives.... [More]
Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, David Dencik, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Søren Malling
Directed By: Anders Thomas Jensen

#11

Pusher (1996)
83%

#11
Adjusted Score: 83422%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: As a heroin dealer in Copenhagen, Frank (Kim Bodnia) is far from the top but earns good money pushing with... [More]
Starring: Kim Bodnia, Zlatko Buric, Laura Drasbæk, Slavko Labovic
Directed By: Nicolas Winding Refn

#10
#10
Adjusted Score: 106565%
Critics Consensus: Rogue One draws deep on Star Wars mythology while breaking new narrative and aesthetic ground -- and suggesting a bright blockbuster future for the franchise.
Synopsis: Former scientist Galen Erso lives on a farm with his wife and young daughter, Jyn. His peaceful existence comes crashing... [More]
Starring: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen
Directed By: Gareth Edwards

#9
#9
Adjusted Score: 86047%
Critics Consensus: Despite its morbid subject matter, Wilbur is a charming and often funny film.
Synopsis: When their mother dies, Harbour (Adrian Rawlins) takes it upon himself to look after his suicidal brother, Wilbur (Jamie Sives).... [More]
Starring: Jamie Sives, Adrian Rawlins, Shirley Henderson, Lisa McKinlay
Directed By: Lone Scherfig

#8

Flame & Citron (2008)
86%

#8
Adjusted Score: 88126%
Critics Consensus: The true story of the Danish resistance in WW2, though lengthy and sprawling, is gripping and competently made.
Synopsis: Gunman Flame (Thure Lindhardt) and his partner Citron (Mads Mikkelsen) assassinate Nazi collaborators for the Dutch resistance. Assigned targets by... [More]
Starring: Thure Lindhardt, Mads Mikkelsen, Stine Stengade, Peter Mygind
Directed By: Ole Christian Madsen

#7
#7
Adjusted Score: 90674%
Critics Consensus: The cast brings After the Wedding's melodramatic script to life, creating a movie that is emotionally raw and satisfying.
Synopsis: Jacob Petersen (Mads Mikkelsen) dedicates his life to helping street children in India, and when the orphanage he leads may... [More]
Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Rolf Lassgård, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Stine Fischer Christensen
Directed By: Susanne Bier

#6

Doctor Strange (2016)
89%

#6
Adjusted Score: 107841%
Critics Consensus: Doctor Strange artfully balances its outré source material against the blockbuster constraints of the MCU, delivering a thoroughly entertaining superhero origin story in the bargain.
Synopsis: Dr. Stephen Strange's (Benedict Cumberbatch) life changes after a car accident robs him of the use of his hands. When... [More]
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong
Directed By: Scott Derrickson

#5

A Royal Affair (2012)
90%

#5
Adjusted Score: 94750%
Critics Consensus: A Royal Affair is a lavish and sumptuous costume drama with a juicy story to back it up.
Synopsis: A young queen falls in love with her physician, and they start a revolution that changes their nation forever.... [More]
Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Alicia Vikander, David Dencik, Trine Dyrholm
Directed By: Nikolaj Arcel

#4

Casino Royale (2006)
94%

#4
Adjusted Score: 105207%
Critics Consensus: Casino Royale disposes of the silliness and gadgetry that plagued recent James Bond outings, and Daniel Craig delivers what fans and critics have been waiting for: a caustic, haunted, intense reinvention of 007.
Synopsis: After receiving a license to kill, British Secret Service agent James Bond (Daniel Craig) heads to Madagascar, where he uncovers... [More]
Starring: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Judi Dench
Directed By: Martin Campbell

#3

The Hunt (2012)
92%

#3
Adjusted Score: 97776%
Critics Consensus: Anchored by Mads Mikkelsen's sympathetic performance, The Hunt asks difficult questions with the courage to pursue answers head on.
Synopsis: A kindergarten teacher's (Mads Mikkelsen) world collapses around him after one of his students (Annika Wedderkopp), who has a crush... [More]
Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Annika Wedderkopp, Lasse Fogelstrøm
Directed By: Thomas Vinterberg

#2

Open Hearts (2002)
93%

#2
Adjusted Score: 94236%
Critics Consensus: Pulsing with honesty, this film lays bare the rawness of human emotion with a story made all the more believable thanks to its gritty, low-budget approach.
Synopsis: Cecilie (Sonja Richter) and Joachim (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) are engaged to be married, when tragedy strikes: Joachim is the victim... [More]
Starring: Sonja Richter, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Mads Mikkelsen, Paprika Steen
Directed By: Susanne Bier

#1
#1
Adjusted Score: 37457%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Trouble follows an ex-convict (Mads Mikkelsen) as he tries to gain his father's favor.... [More]
Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Leif Sylvester Petersen, Kurt Nielsen, Oyvind Hagen-Traberg
Directed By: Nicolas Winding Refn