New Danish thriller Riders of Justice ticks every box
As a man bent on revenge for the apparent murder of his wife in a train crash, Mads Mikkelsen excels in the new Danish revenge thriller Riders of Justice.
A gripping black comedy, Riders of Justice is a subtle blend of action, thrills, murder, laughter, and a sort of mad quirkiness that permeates the film.
A professional soldier, Markus (Mads Mikkelsen) returns to Denmark from duty in Afghanistan after learning his wife has died in a tragic train crash.
Although his teenage daughter Mathilde (Andrea Heick Gadeberg) survived the crash, Markus cannot reconcile himself with her mother’s loss, and struggles to reconnect with his daughter.
Things between them spiral downwards until Markus receives an unexpected visit from statistical academic Otto (Nikolaj Lie Kaas).
Otto explains he was on the same train as Markus’s wife and feels responsible as he gave up his seat for her – a seat that ultimately cost her her life; while he survived.
Aided by geeky colleague Lennart (Lars Brygmann), and a computer nerd called Emmenthaler (Nicolas Bro), Otto explains to Markus that after some investigation, they believe the train crash was not an accident, but a deliberate attack by an outlaw motorcycle gang.
Although at first shocked by the news, Markus’ military background soon comes to the fore, and he is galvanised into action.
Using the front of ‘crisis psychologists’, Markus tells Mathilde the three visitors have arrived to help them recover from their ordeal, and some very funny scenes follow as the computer geeks try to ‘counsel’ Markus and Mathilde in-house.
As the various members of the motorcycle gang are identified using advanced computer modulation, Markus wastes no time in confronting them and attempting to eliminate them.
The rest of the film is an exercise in mayhem and violence as Markus, aided sometimes by his newfound friends, targets the gang members with military precision using an arsenal of weapons.
With a twist in the tale (no spoilers here), Riders of Justice ticks every box and is showing at Luna Leederville and Luna on SX from Thursday, October 7.
By Mike Peeters Media
