The Last Viking

Anker (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) does not think of himself as a bad man. When he planned the robbery, he never expected anyone to get hurt. He didn’t plan on getting caught, either, but at least, before that happened, he was able to instruct his troubled younger brother Manfred (Mads Mikkelsen) to hide the loot. Now, 15 years later, 11 years sober and a reformed character, he’s out of prison and ready to retrieve it. The trouble is that Manfred can no longer remember where he put it. Furthermore, he now insists that he’s John Lennon.

What can Anker do? All his hopes and dreams depend on that money. What’s more, he wants his brother back. Their sister, Freja (Bodil Jørgensen), abruptly cuts off his anger, telling him that it’s important to respect Manfred’s new identity. Lothar (Lars Brygmann), who cares for Manfred in the local psychiatric institute, concurs. But when Lothar reveals that there’s a patient in another institution who identifies as Ringo Starr, and another emerges who at different times, believes he is both Paul McCartney and George Harrison, a plan begins to develop. Perhaps they can resolve the problem and find a solution that works for everybody – by reuniting the Beatles.

Having got their own band back together, Anders Thomas Jensen and his favourite collaborators are clearly having tremendous fun in a film which allows its leads to break from type. They’re ably supported by Sofie Gråbøl and Søren Malling as the squabbling couple renting out the brothers’ childhood home as an AirBnB – which naturally becomes the Beatles’ base as they prepare for a comeback gig – while newcomer Kardo Razazzi is a real treat to watch.

Naturally this sort of subject matter is precarious, with the capacity to go badly wrong, but the film never feels as if it’s mocking its disabled characters. They all come across as complex human beings, with Mikkelsen giving Manfred a lot of dignity. Indeed, in the latter half of the film, he’s really the one driving the story, aware of things that Anker has yet to fully comprehend. The roles of carer and dependent subtly shift as we learn more about their past, and the bond they share as brothers runs deep. There are tragicomic elements to Manfred’s difference, whether he’s suddenly and unexpectedly self-harming or running off with someone’s dog, but he’s a fully realised character with his own arc.

The Beatles-related comedy is a bit hit and miss. At times it feels as if Jensen is trying to spin too many plates at once, but in the moments when it all comes together, it’s a delight to watch. The whole thing is bookended with an animated fable about Vikings which has its own distinct quirkiness. If this is supposed to be what inspired Manfred’s childhood love of wearing a horned helmet, well, one can see where things went awry.

Ultimately this is a character-driven film, and if you connect with those characters then you’ll find it engaging throughout, even when it steps away from the comedy and goes to dark places. One thing is for sure: you won’t see anything else quite like it.

Reviewed on: 21 Jun 2026