Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen has been part of many different kinds of movies, from independent Danish films to big-budget features. Recently, it feels like he's been in every major franchise there is, from Star Wars to Marvel, to James Bond. In Hollywood, Mads Mikkelsen tends to play mostly baddies, but internationally, he's an acclaimed leading man that always steals the stage.
He's also done some small-screen work on shows like Hannibal, but here are his best big-screen works, ranked per IMDb.
The Hunt (2012) - 8.3
Coming in as Mikkelsen's highest-ranked movie is Thomas Vinterberg's The Hunt (or Jagten). This movie stars Mikkelsen as a small-town father who is accused wrongfully of a heinous crime.
It is an incredibly psychological movie, illuminating how paranoia quickly can spread and hysteria can take over. Mikkelsen plays a poignant performance as a man wronged and shunned, both vulnerable and stubborn. He won 'Best Actor' for the film at Cannes 2012, and the film itself was nominated for an Oscar.
Casino Royale (2006) - 8.0
In Casino Royale, Daniel Craig's first outing as James Bond, Mads stars as Bond villain Le Chiffre.
Meeting Bond at the poker table, Le Chiffre is at once a terrifying and pathetic villain, and Mikkelsen showcases both these aspects to perfection -- as strong of an actor while he has Bond tied to a chair as when he's crying his signature tears of blood.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) - 7.8
Often considered one of the strongest Star Wars offerings in recent years, Mads Mikkelsen plays Galen Erson in Rogue One. Galen Erso is a brilliant scientist who helps to build the Death Star under duress but manages to create an ingenious Achilles heel which eventually helps the resistance.
In his final scenes, dying in his daughter's arms, Mikkelsen brings his best, touching heartstrings and tear ducts.
Adam's Apples (2005) - 7.8
Adam's Apples, directed by Anders Thomas Jensen, is a Danish dramedy that stars Mikkelsen as Ivan, a priest in a small town. Ivan is an odd man, who comes into contact with polar opposite Adam, played by Ulrich Thomsen, a burly neo-nazi who cannot see eye to eye with the optimistic rural man of God.
The movie follows their misadventures and ends on an optimistic note.
After The Wedding (2006) - 7.7
After The Wedding is a Danish-Swedish film which sees Mikkelsen as a Danish man trying to keep an Indian orphanage afloat. When an offer of assistance from a wealthy Dane comes to him, Mikkelsen, who plays Jacob Petersen, must travel to Copenhagen to obtain it.
But what seems like a simple charitable act becomes much more complex as strange familial secrets come to life.
Flickering Lights (2000) - 7.7
Another Anders Thomas Jensen production, Flickering Lights is a surrealist, Danish comedy. Mikkelsen plays a cook with a temper, Arne, one of the movie's four leads. In a buddy comedy-esque, misadventure of a movie, four criminals are ordered to rob a safe for a job, but go rogue and end up starting a restaurant.
The movie is incredibly endearing and a great place to start for those wanting to explore Mikkelsen's Danish filmography.
Of course, having been in Star Wars and James Bond, it was time for Mikkelsen to add a Marvel movie to his line-up. While the argument might be made that Doctor Strange under-utilizes the Danish talent, he certainly does get a cool look. As the sorcerer Kaecilius, Mikkelsen goes toe to toe with Doctor Strange, hoping to create the world of his dreams.
Alas, it is not to be, but many hope that one day Kaecilius will be back in all his eyeshadow glory.
A Royal Affair (2012) - 7.5
A Royal Affair is a historical drama where Mikkelsen plays Johann Struensee, a royal physician and reformer who has an affair with the Danish Queen and incites revolution. While this movie has the hallmarks of a great historical drama, period fashions and lavish balls, it is a serious piece with great philosophical depth and historical value.
While overall tragic, it is well worth a watch.
Open Hearts (2002) - 7.5
Open Hearts is another Danish film where Mikkelsen plays a doctor. In this case, he is the husband of a woman who paralyzes a man in a car accident. Encouraged by his wife, Mikkelsen's character offers assistance to the fiance of the man, who is unaware of how he is related to the accident.
The two end up becoming romantically involved, to the detriment of both their settled lives.
Pusher I & II (1996 & 2004) - 7.4
The Pusher movies (I and II) are tied for tenth place in Mikkelsen's filmography. These movies, directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, have Mikkelsen starring as Tonny, the side-kick of small-time drug dealer. In the movies, Tonny deals with his relationship to drugs, crime, and fatherhood... both his own experience with his father and his experience of becoming one.