Riders of Justice – Film Review

Director – Anders Thomas Jensen
Writers – Nikolaj Arcel (idea), Anders Thomas Jensen (idea)
Stars – Mads Mikkelsen, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Andrea Heick Gadeberg

Markus (Mikkelsen) is a soldier in Afghanistan. He has to return home after his wife dies in a train crash. He has a troubled relationship with his daughter Mathilde (Andrea Heick Gadeberg ) and the two of them struggle to come to terms with the death of their loved one. Markus is not suited for the civilian lifestyle and seems to solve many of his problems with his fists. He is visited by a person who survived the train crash by the name of Otto (Nikolaj Lie Kaas). He has a theory that the crash may not be an accident. Once Markus hears the details that Otto and his friends have uncovered, he sets out in search of answers to what really happened.

If you’re afraid that this sounds like a fairly run of the mill revenge thriller, this is something else entirely. The director and writer of this film is Anders Thomas Jensen, and he has worked with Mads Mikkelsen on a number of previous projects including Men & Chicken and Adam’s Apple. If you’ve seen these previous films, you’ll know that none of them obeys the typical story arcs of Hollywood films, with many unexpected ideas and twists. This film is no different as the audience is lead on a merry dance, as we follow Markus and the three computer geeks on a journey into the unknown!

It’s rare you see a film that is so obviously set for a Hollywood remake! The script is very impressive and would easily work in another setting. Perhaps they’ll even give Mickelson a chance to reprise the role in English! He’s hugely impressive as the military commander and it belies the many sensitive roles he’s played in the rest of his career. The three computer nerds in Otto, Lennart (Lars Brygmann), and Emmenthaler (Nicolas Bro) add a lot of humour to the piece as they battle for supremacy. This is a hugely original tale and will leave you with a smile on your face at the audacity of what you’ve just witnessed!