© Rolf Konow, Photo Courtesy of Magnet Releasing

Film Review: Riders of Justice

09:00 June 04, 2021
By: Fritz Esker

The new Danish film Riders of Justice (available on VOD) is a surprisingly effective mix of action, comedy, and pathos.

A mathematician (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) gives up his seat to a woman on a full commuter train. Shortly thereafter, an accident kills many people on board, including the woman. The mathematician, wracked with survivor's guilt, becomes convinced it was no accident and that it was all done to kill the star witness in a trial against a vicious motorcycle gang. With the help of some geeky hacker friends (Nicolas Bro and Lars Bryggman), he uncovers more information that he takes to the widower (Mads Mikkelsen of Hannibal and Casino Royale) of the woman he gave his seat to.

The grieving husband is a special forces soldier who now plans on exacting bloody revenge on the motorcycle gang. The three geeks stick around to help him with intel and planning.

The plot summary doesn't sound like anything new. However, Riders of Justice feels fresh. It covers weighty themes like the nature of revenge, the endless string of coincidences that form the defining moments of our lives, and people's tendencies to see only what they want to see. There's a dark humor here that's similar to recent revenge action comedies like Cold Pursuit and Nobody, but there's also an emotional heft to Riders of Justice that makes it linger in one's memory longer.

*** stars (out of four)

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