watch later

Not interested / seen

Riders of Justice (2021)Riders of Justice (2021)

Riders of Justice (2021)

Nothing is random in this riotous Danish action-black comedy about coincidences and found families

Action, Comedy, Drama, Thriller

7.5

movie

Denmark, Sweden
Arabic, Danish, Estonian
Character-driven, Funny, Gripping
2020
Anders Thomas Jensen
Albert Rudbeck Lindhardt, Anders Nyborg, Andrea Heick Gadeberg
116 min

Synopsis

rotten tomatoes
imdb
wikipedia
Markus returns home to care for his daughter when his wife dies in a tragic train accident. However, when a survivor of the wreck surfaces and claims foul play, Markus suspects his wife was murdered and embarks on a mission to find those responsible.

Our Take

7.5
Bronte Lacsamana

Don’t let the title and poster fool you—Riders of Justice isn’t the testosterone-filled action flick you’d expect going in (though it does get ridiculous at some points). It centers on deployed military man Markus, played by the appropriately masculine Mads Mikkelsen, who has to return home to his teenage daughter Mathilde after his wife dies in an accident. Instead of coping normally and sticking with his daughter to get through the tragedy, he goes down a rabbit hole discovering how the accident that killed his wife is more than just bad luck and may have been collateral damage from a gang orchestrating an assassination.

Surprisingly, director Anders Thomas Jensen injects this violent film with a lot of gentle moments about trauma and togetherness. Mikkelsen and the rest of the cast play off of each other very well, using dark humor to bring together a bunch of characters who are, in oversimplified terms, “fucked up but trying their best.”

It may seem like the guns, blood, and badass moments are a front for this film that, at its core, shows men who badly need therapy banding together to cope with the harshness of life. Extremely funny and deeply moving, it qualifies as a heartwarming Christmas movie, believe it or not.

Comments

What did you think? Who should watch it?

Next up

You Hurt My Feelings (2023)

7.9

Wise, funny, and utterly relatable, this mediation on the merits of white lies and bitter truths is a delightful piece of work

Sanctuary (2023)

best

8.4

An ingenious blend of erotic thriller and dark comedy with a once-in-a-lifetime performance by Margaret Qualley

Polite Society (2023)

best

8.6

This riotous mishmash of influences still feels utterly original thanks to some ingenious writing and a whirlwind central performance

Extraction 2 (2023)

6.9

A run-of-the-mill thriller punctuated by visceral, breathtaking action set pieces

Reality (2023)

7.0

This surreal filmmaking experiment yields mixed results

All My Puny Sorrows (2023)

5.9

A deeply felt study of grief and inherited mental illness that struggles to state its ideas clearly

Small, Slow But Steady (2022)

best

8.3

A quiet, inspiring story about connection and perseverance during the COVID-19 pandemic

Sword of the Stranger (2007)

best

8.0

A striking samurai adventure anime about being the master of one’s self

Papicha (2019)

best

8.3

With fashion as their defiance, Papicha boldly unveils the resilience of women against the backdrop of an oppressive society

The Green Ray (1986)

best

8.5

This largely improvised French film is a cathartic watch for anyone who’s ever felt like they’re drifting