Riders of Justice

Anders Thomas Jensen delivers one of the best Nordic films in the last ten years, and he has the biggest stars available. Mads Mikkelsen (The Hunt), Nikolaj Lie Kaas (Department Q), Nicolas Bro (Small Town Killers) against Roland Møller (R), that's what I call an awesome cast! The main character's wife dies in a tragic train accident and three friends approach him. They have figured out that it was not an accident and ask him if he wants to seek revenge and confront a dangerous biker gang. The film has a solid revenge story, spiced up with dark and very funny black humor (I laughed a lot), intelligent dialogues, and when it came to action, it was uncompromising, intense, and damn realistic, especially the final home invasion has an awesome atmosphere. Mads Mikkelsen probably has the best role after The Hunt, he plays an elite soldier and exudes respect. The villain is played by Roland Møller, who has already proven himself in the role of a merciless bastard several times, although he deserved even more space here. A very good film, which not only is enjoyable to watch but also leaves a pleasant taste in your mouth after it ends. I would have welcomed more action and more space for the villain, but otherwise, I am very satisfied. Story *****, Action *****, Humor *****, Violence ****, Entertainment *****, Music *****, Visuals *****, Atmosphere *****, Tension *****. 8.5/10. (01/31/2021)

Actually a perfect return to the cinema. It's exactly the kind of film where a different row is laughing every moment, because the range of humor here is really wide. Occasionally there's a "yay!" from the left, a "dude!" from the back, and when someone sitting in front of you laments "Oh, shit" in one scene, you shake your head with a frown. Like the action scenes, which rival Gareth Edwards in brutality. Plus, it's a great grab bag of familiar faces (Mia Goth got fat? Dylan Moran can speak Danish? Is that the frog from Nachtmahr?) who are actually someone else. Plus, personally, I have a soft spot for movies whose cathartic punchline is how nothing actually matters. After all, how else to handle a story about how a crusade of male stereotypes (the most IT IT crowd, the most PTSD soldier, the most gay gay) avenge the death of a lady in a manner they're so forged into that they screw it up with grace from the ground up. The Egypt punchline is totally FTW, I'm still laughing at it as I type this. The first Jensen that sat well with me, though he's still clearly recognizable in this. (05/26/2021)

I don't know where Jensen gets these ideas from, but it works. Sometimes it's downright enjoyable, and it also never completely fails. He once again shows that nothing is sacred to him, and he can bring together seemingly incompatible heroes, genres, and emotions. Riders of Justice is a black tragicomedy about a very unsuccessful journey for revenge. Among other things, the viewer will learn why we shouldn't believe in conspiracy theories, but also why Nordic countries don't need the death penalty. Jensen wildly mixes absurdity with randomness, and if you're willing to handle some violence and cynical humor that doesn't care about societal correctness, there's a good chance you'll enjoy this ride with a bunch of crazy outsiders. Overall impression: 80%. (01/28/2021)

John Wick, a biker gang, a prostitute, causality, correlation, Christmas and IT dudes. It's equal parts psychological drama, Nordic noir with social overtones, proper black comedy, uncompromising action flick, intimate family drama about coping with unexpected loss, (not so) feel-good buddy movie, situation comedy, Christmas cheer movie and… and a few other genres and boxes too. What is admirable is that it is not for a moment a disparate mishmash and a tug-of-war over which genre will pull the strings. Despite the multi-genre disjointedness, it's integral, as it works on several levels and opposing genres simultaneously. So the scenes where you bust out laughing while nerve-wracking tension builds and we get to the heart of the characters, among other things, are not the exception that proves the rule. (04/17/2021)

Danish filmmakers put me in a good mood yet again. Jensen's usual suspects showed me what it looks like when near-unquestionable facts triumph over lies and hatred, and I had a great time throughout. Since I watched very closely, it didn't escape me that Anders Thomas Jensen added a subtle human touch to the witty, action-packed, and extremely violent frenzy. (04/27/2021)