Retfærdighedens ryttere

In the US we associate indies with sub-par film-making. Because they are cheap productions destined to fill the pipeline for some low-end cable channel, and most of the cash never makes it to the screen. This Danish gem is the exception to the rule. For a tight $5.0 mil budget we not only get top production values and acting, but a story that defies expectations at every turn. Tarantino meets Keystone Cops. Engaging. A treat. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

After watching some mediocre movies lately Retfærdighedens Ryttere (or Riders of Justice for the English title) was exactly what I needed. Finally a movie that stands out from the rest. Majoritarily in Danish, which isn't a problem at all with subtitles, this movie starts intriguing to finish in total chaos. Good twists and turns keep the audience interested in the story. But not only the story was highly entertaining, also the acting from the entire cast was most enjoyable to follow. Mads Mikkelsen is the top name in this movie, and he always delivers so no surprise here. The funniest character to me was Emmenthaler played beautifully by Nicolas Bro. I can't think of anything bad to write about this movie. Definitely a movie I will watch again in the future, when I forgot everything about it, if that's even possible.

I became very impressed with Anders Thomas Jensen's new installment to his bizarre and unique film universe!

The film delivers comedy in top class, and have some impeccable acting performances particularly from Mads Mikkelsen and Nikolaj Lie Kaas, but the rest of the cast (Nicolas Bro, Lars Brygmann, Roland Møller, Andrea Gadeberg etc.) also does a good job!

The script and the lines were really well done. How the characters interact and talk to each other felt very natural, and none of it seemed "staged", which shines through as ATJ is one of the most talented screenwriters we have in Denmark.

I found the film's unique plot and its special "idea" to be incredibly thrilling, and made the film have a lot of thoughtful elements, where the cinema-goer is actually challenged intellectually, which we rarely see in Danish films.

All in all a great danish film!

9/10.

IMDB thought that if I like this movie I should watch Nobody. The suggestions algorithm needs some serious improvements. If US could produce a revenge movie that was even half of what Riders for Justice stands for then I wouldn't mind giving them another go but I seriously doubt they'll ever get to the same level ever with scandinavian cinema and storytelling. So anyone out there that is fed up by John Wick mania give this one a go.

'Riders Of Justice (2020)' is an anti-revenge thriller. Though it has moments of more traditional genre fare, it's far more interested in exploring its broken characters and potent underlying themes than it is in providing cathartically violent thrills. The piece is mostly a meditative drama about grief, trauma, family and healing. It also features a fair bit of rumination on coincidence and causality, ultimately positing that trying to trace exactly why things happen is as painfully pointless as it is practically impossible. It's a melancholic movie that dismantles not only the inherently harmful concept of vengeance, but also the culture of toxic masculinity that prevents many men from productively coming to terms with the trauma they've faced. The protagonist expresses his atheism early on and warns his daughter of the perils of assigning meaning to meaningless things, then spends much of the flick attempting to do exactly the same thing, searching for someone who he can blame for his horrific situation. For him, violence is the default response; he's much more comfortable pointing a gun at someone - and, even, pulling the trigger - than he is reconciling his own emotions. Sometimes, bad things happen. That's all there is to it. Of course, it'd be easier if there was always someone - or something - to blame for the bad things that we experience, but there often just isn't and that's okay. This is an incredibly poignant and relevant thematic underpinning. The film's exploration of it is both thought-provoking and emotionally affecting. It elevates the overall affair to something much more viscerally impactful than you'd perhaps expect. It's an intelligent, intriguing and extremely technically competent experience that never quite does what you expect it to. Its oddball characters are highly compelling, its performances are heartbreakingly realistic, its humour is often unexpectedly effective, its general vibe is very empathetic and its overall message is surprisingly hopeful. Its drama is as enjoyable as its infrequent but punchy action. It's a phenomenal picture that's as traditionally entertaining as it is thematically rich and emotionally resonant. As of now, it's my favourite film of 2021 (based on its UK release date). 8/10.