- Date of Release: 19 November 2020
- Genre: Action, Comedy, Drama
- Language: Danish
- Watch On: Amazon Prime Video
Riders of Justice
Introduction
A late change in plans last night made me zero in on this film. I have been a fan of Mads Mikkelsen since quite a while now. And that euphoria reached a crescendo when I watched the Danish Film Another Round on Amazon Prime last year. You will find a detailed review of it on Popcorn Reviewss but here I would just like to mention that the film was the winner of the Best Film in a Foreign Language at the Academy Awards last year. And so when I got to know of another Danish Film starring Mads Mikkelsen which had made its way to Amazon Prime naturally I was curious to watch it. This film was a part of my watchlist for quite sometime now but finally I have finished watching it. Is it worth your time, stay tuned.
Story & Screenplay
Riders Of Justice is essentially a revenge saga revolving around Markus whose wife dies in a train accident. Up until he gets to know that this isn’t an accident….This is all that I can reveal about the plot but the story is a very different revenge saga. This doesn’t follow your typical template. Instead it turns the genre on its head upto an extent. The screenplay is filled with dark humour which I must admit was fun to watch. I had a particular notion about the film but that was slowly crushed to bits as the film progressed. The film begins with almost three to four parallel stories which aren’t linked to one another. An unfortunate event is something which ties the stories. The drama here is engaging and it keeps you invested throughout. If you are expecting a full blown action film then this ain’t that film. While there are some nice choreographed action sequences, this isn’t an out an out action film. The use of coincidence is wonderfully applied here and it also adds a bit to the humour quotient of the film. The twist in the tale just before the final act is a great one and something which will leave you perplexed. The end though is slightly underwhelming and I just felt that it lacked the impact. Another drawback is the lack of a strong antagonist which kind of impacted the final act too! But overall it is a very differently penned screenplay which does keep you hooked and booked.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues add to the humour as well. The humour will make you chuckle but it won’t make you laugh hysterically. The BGM is good but not memorable. The action sequences are nicely choreographed and the cinematography and editing are good here. Director Anders Thomas Jensen does a commendable job by staying away from the cheat codes of the genre. He manages to maintain a grip on the narrative which means the direction is definitely good here.
Performances
The performances are pretty good. Albert Rudbeck Lindhardt as Sirius and Gustav Lindh aa Bodashka have their moments to shine. Nicolas Bro as Emmenthaler is hilarious and he does a swell job. Lars Brygmann as Lennart is excellent. Andrea Heick Gadeberg aa Mathilde has a very layered character which requires her to internalize and she is quite brilliant. Nikolaj Lie Kaas as Otto is fantastic and probably the find of the film for me. Mads Mikkelsen as Markus has very few dialogues to play with but he is absolutely brutal and ruthless in yet another memorable outing. The fan boy in me with sleep well tonight!
Conclusion
Riders Of Justice is a very different revenge saga that turns out to be quite a fun watch. Available on Amazon Prime.