Movie Breakdown: Riders Of Justice

Pre-Screening Stance:

I made it roughly 10 seconds into the trailer for Riders Of Justice before I declared that I had to see it.

Post-Screening Ramble:

I went into Riders Of Justice fully expecting an action film, and that’s just not quite what it is. At its core is a disastrous train crash, one that forever alters the lives of a ragtag group of misfits. There’s Markus (Mads Mikkelsen) and Mathilde (Andrea Heick Gadeberg), who lost their wife/mother Emma (Anne Birgitte Lind) in the incident, along with Otto (Nikolaj Lie Kaas), who nearly died in the wreck, and a couple of his buddies, Lennart (Lars Brygmann) and Emmenthaler (Nicolas Bro). To everyone else, the accident was exactly that, but Otto and his big brained pals think that it was a planned attack, which leads them to Markus, a very capable soldier with the means to strike back at whoever may have been responsible.

The thirst for revenge certainly drives the rest of Riders Of Justice, but not in the way you’re probably thinking. For Markus, it’s a distraction. He has long been deployed and doesn’t really know Mathilde at all, so it’s easier for him to trudge forward on another mission than it is to slow down and deal with his feelings, his daughter or anything else. As for Otto, Lennart and Emmenthaler, they’re total oddballs with unfortunate backgrounds and empty day to day existences, so for them it’s a chance to prove their worth. This really is a surprisingly emotional film, and thankfully, it’s also a funny one. Now granted, the humor is as black and dark as can be, but it – along with Markus being an efficient killing machine – helps take the edge off. Kudos to director Anders Thomas Jensen for crafting such a wonderfully layered film.

Riders Of Justice is one of the best movies I’ve seen so far in 2021. Be sure to watch it. The film is set to open in NYC and LA this weekend and then it’ll hit VOD services next Friday, May 21.

One Last Thought:

I didn’t realize it until after I had watched Riders Of Justice, but Anders Thomas Jensen directed Men & Chicken, a film I saw at Fantastic Fest a few years back. It’s very dark and very weird and totally worth your time if you can find it. Mads Mikkelsen is in it, too.