Movie Breakdown: Riders Of Justice (Noah)

Pre-Screening Stance:

Seriously, Mads Mikkelsen is on such a tear as an actor in general these days that if you just had him comfortably snoozing under a stylish blanket for an hour, I’d probably watch it. Him playing a revenge-fueled military man hunting a motorcycle gang? I’m mad that I haven’t watched it yet.

Post-Screening Ramble:

Riders of Justice is a lot of things. It’s a dark, dark, dark revenge film about a Danish special forces officer hunting down the motorcycle gang who may have killed his wife and left his daughter motherless. It’s a dark, dark, dark comedy about a group of emotionally damaged men trying to come together to figure out their lives and take care of business. It is a (yes, dark) rumination on God and fate and the power of coincidence. It is, well, jesus, it’s just a big old complicated yarn of a tale shot through with deeply felt emotions, scenarios so bleak you can’t help but laugh and some truly visceral violence. It is an awesome film that never backs down from its challenging subject matter, but rewards, greatly, those who stick around. Mads Mikkelsen brings the full force of his cold, Danish persona to bear in a role so unforgivingly cold, that when there is finally a thawing, it feels like a changing of the seasons. The way director Anders Thomas Jensen slowly brings the characters together into a strange, totally fucked up family unit is a joy to watch, even if the atmosphere barely ever ticks past pitch black. This is the rare cinematic experience that dredges you across the very bottom of the emotional barrel, so when you finally get lifted up and put on your feet, it feels all the more spectacular. This might be the first great film I’ve seen this year. You should make it yours as well.

One Last Thought:

I laughed a lot during this film, and it’s a testament to the ability of the director to balance the at times truly disturbing bits of this film with a comedic tone that never feels inappropriate.