Overview
A harrowing tale of survival and humanity amidst the ruins of war.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- austere
- harrowing
- melancholic
- serious movie night
- historical film marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a hard-hitting, suspenseful, and humanist account of a neglected chapter of postwar history.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The Danish state forces German teenage prisoners of war to clear its beaches, confronting national vengeance and responsibility after World War II.
The mine-clearing unit consists largely of inexperienced German boys who are treated as disposable labor despite their youth.
The boys must locate and defuse buried mines by hand, making each beach sequence a tightly controlled survival test.
Sgt. Carl Rasmussen's hatred of Germans gradually cools as he recognizes the boys' fear and coercion.
Films like Land of Mine, and why
The Counterfeiters
shares postwar moral reckoning, grounded historical drama, and sympathy for young soldiers trapped by political hatred
Son of Saul
shares austere wartime realism, civilian vulnerability, and emotionally intense survival under military conditions
Atonement
shares historical conflict, humanist antiwar themes, and suspense built from ordinary people facing lethal danger
The Painted Bird
shares period war drama, moral ambiguity, and the gradual humanization of an enemy figure
Movie Details
- Director
- Martin Zandvliet
- Release Date
- 2015-12-03
- Runtime
- 100 min
- Rating
- 7.8 / 10 (1518)
Cast
- Roland Møller
- Louis Hofmann
- Mikkel Boe Følsgaard
- Joel Basman
- Laura Bro
- Oskar Bökelmann
- Emil Belton
- Oskar Belton
- Leon Seidel
- Karl Alexander Seidel
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Land of Mine about?
- A Danish sergeant overseeing teenage German POWs on a mine-clearing detail confronts the human cost of vengeance after World War II.
- What is Land of Mine like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Land of Mine as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Land of Mine violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Land of Mine as graphic.
- What did critics think of Land of Mine?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a hard-hitting, suspenseful, and humanist account of a neglected chapter of postwar history.
- Which films are like Land of Mine?
- Films with a similar feel include The Counterfeiters, Son of Saul, Atonement, and The Painted Bird.
- How long is Land of Mine?
- Land of Mine runs 100 minutes.
- Where can I watch Land of Mine?
- In United States, Land of Mine is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand.
