Keswick Film Festival

Synopsis

A Danish drama with Mads Mikkelsen out for revenge.

"When a train smash leaves him a widower, pissed-off army officer Markus (Mads Mikkelsen) returns home unable to process his grief, let alone help his teen daughter with hers. He's a coiled spring and his solution to any problem is either to punch it or shoot it. So when statistician Lennart (Lars Brygmann) and two fellow geeks appear with evidence that the crash was actually part of an assassination plot by a gangster, Markus is ready to go full Death Wish.

What separates the ensuing mayhem from a thousand generic thrillers out there is an impish streak and writing that smartly juggles big ideas, mad gun battles and guilty laughs. Director Anders Thomas Jensen serves up a great running gag when Lennart's quiet sidekick (Gustav Lindh) confidently assumes the role of Markus's therapist to hide their real mission from his daughter. The contrasts between the cold-blooded soldier, his baffled daughter and the three boffins offers lots of oddball chemistry, too. And if the motivations of the latter feel a bit woolly, it’s hard to mind in a movie that is enjoying itself quite this much" – Phil de Semlyen, Time Out.

The result is "A darkly humorous revenge thriller with satisfying depth and a dash of savory quirk, 'Riders of Justice’ makes another compelling case for Mads Mikkelsen as an all-purpose leading man" – Rotten Tomatoes.