Henrik Danstrup Movies

A man with a remarkable talent for violence must fight to survive when he sets out on an extraordinary journey in this fantasy from director Nicolas Winding Refn. One Eye (Mads Mikkelsen) is the nickname given to a nameless, mute warrior who has become a slave to Barde (Alexander Morton), a wealthy Scotsman who obtained One Eye for his remarkable fighting skills. One Eye is a fierce warrior but shows little loyalty to his master, and when the opportunity presents itself, One Eye murders Barde and his mercenaries and sets off on his own, with a young boy (Maarten Stevenson) tagging along to speak on his behalf. Eager to leave Denmark behind in favor of freedom and adventure, One Eye throws in his lot with a band of Christian Vikings, who've set out on an ambitious quest to travel to Jerusalem and claim the Holy Land as their own. But the voyage to the Holy City is a difficult one, and the Vikings are met with violent resistance, forcing One Eye to rely on his talents as a warrior to protect himself and his young apprentice. Valhalla Rising received its North American premiere at the 2009 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

In the third and final chapter of Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn's acclaimed Pusher trilogy, the focus shifts from disgraced gangster's son Tonny to feared Serbian crime lord Milo. First seen in the original film as a vicious underworld heavy with a thirst for blood and a sadistic mean streak, Milo's violent professional life couldn't stand in starker contrast to his henpecked home life. From catering to the constant demands of his spoiled daughter, Milena, to watching over his shiftless henchmen and cooking his helpers some questionably prepared samosas, Milo's notorious street reputation can't hold a candle to his reputation for being quite a softie around the house. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A man searching for the truth about his wife's killer learns more than he wanted to know about her own private story in this powerful drama. Harry Cain (John Turturro) works as a security guard at a large shopping mall in Wisconsin. Harry's life takes a sudden and disturbing left turn when his wife, Kate (Deborah Kara Unger), is shot to death in the mall's parking facility. Devastated by his wife's passing, Harry begins combing over every scrap of evidence he can find in hopes of tracking down the gunman and reviewing hours of videotape from the mall's surveillance system. One night, Harry has a vision in which he sees Kate walking out of the house across the street; he breaks into the abandoned home to investigate, and finds some photographs that may lead him to his wife's murderer. However, the more Harry learns about Kate, and as he travels to Montana in search of a possible culprit, Harry begins to learn just how much he never knew about Kate and her life. Renowned novelist Hubert Selby Jr. co-wrote the screenplay for Fear X, while composer and musician Brian Eno contributed to the musical score. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Aage Rais directs this grim tale about murderous pogroms and tourism. Young Dane (Pelle Hvenegaard) signs on as a peacekeeper in Bosnia and is quickly disgusted by the force's inability to stop violence against civilians. Later he, along with sergeant Holt (Nicolaj Coster-Waldau), guides a trio of blood-thirsty tourists looking to kill. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn follows up his intense crime drama Pusher with this story of a young couple living on the edges of society. Leo and Louise (Kim Bodnia and Rikke Louise Andersson) are in love and share a flat; Leo likes to go drinking with his buddies and watch action movies on the VCR, while Louise prefers quiet nights at home. Louise's brother Louis (Levino Jensen) is a racist thug who imagines himself an underworld kingpin. Lenny (Mads Mikkelsen) is a friend of Leo's who loves movies but is painfully shy around women; when he finally works up the nerve to ask Lea (Liv Corfixen), a waitress at an all-night diner, for a date, a mix-up finds the two seeing the same film but at different theaters. While Leo seems better adjusted with his friends, that begins to change when Louise informs him that she's going to have a baby. Leo doesn't react well to the news: he becomes remote and begins to turn violent, as a long-held self-loathing finally begins to rise to the surface. Bleeder received strong notices, particularly for the performances by Kim Bodnia and Rikke Louise Andersson, in its showings at the 1999 Venice and Haugesund Film Festivals. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Simon Staho directed this Danish-Icelandic thriller, scripted by Stahho in collaboration with lead actor Nikolaj Coster Waldau. Copenhagen-born Ossy (Waldau) arrives in the suburbs to intrude on the family life of former friend Jimmy (Mads Mikkelsen). When they were pals at age 18, Jimmy accidentally killed a man. The two then left Denmark and traveled to the Far East, engaging in drug smuggling in Thailand until Jimmy departed, settling down in Reykjavik with his Icelandic wife Anna (Palina Jonsdottir). Ossy's arrival spells trouble, as Jimmy is caught between his devotion to Anna and Ossy's proposal of a drug deal. Shown at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival and the 1998 San Sebastian Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Filled with easy money, fast cars and beautiful women, Frank's life as a drug dealer is perfect until the police catch him en route to deliver a large bag of heroin. Just before he is arrested, Frank dumps the smack into a lake. But even though the police release him, his troubles are not over, for now the buyer demands his money back. He gives Frank, who already spent the cash, a few days to return it. If the pusher fails, he will be killed. Thus begins Frank's violent odyssey through the underbelly of Copenhagen to find the money he needs to save his life. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi