RIDERS OF JUSTICE

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming from Magnet Releasing, Zentropa entertainmentS3 and writer/director Anders Thomas Jensen is the story of a man who is taking on the RIDERS OF JUSTICE.

Markus (Mads Mikkelsen) is dealing with a tragedy while parenting daughter Mathilde (Andrea Heick Gadeberg). When a survivor Otto (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) from the train wreck comes forward believing that it was no accident, it brings out the soldier in Markus who wants to find out who is responsible for turning his family’s life upside down.

Otto convinces Markus that he can help enlisting friends Lennart (Lars Brygmann) and Emmenthaler (Nicolas Bro) to use their skills to find answers. When they are attacked, Markus brings them to his home where they can work on leads in relative safety. When the group of men go to the house of someone that can perhaps give them answers, Markus shows the depths of his anger.

Mathilde is being kept from all of this under the pretense that Markus is going through therapy and she is thrilled by it. She also finds herself getting close to everyone and even her boyfriend has a chance to spend time with the group. That is when things take a turn as social media might be the death of them all.

Mikkelson as Markus has the opportunity to play a rough, gruff, no nonsense character that can not but help bring people around him that are his exact opposite. The only reason he tolerates any of them is because they can help him do what he believes needs done – take out the person responsible for hurting his family. Let us be honest, Mikkelson does this type of role well in the first place but as Markus, we get to see him deal with the little bit of craziness his new house guests bring. I really enjoyed his role in this because he has to find a way to not only deal with his own issues but everyone else’s as well.

Kaas as Otto truly believes he knows exactly who is responsible and it is his way of dealing with his own guilt about the accident. A tad twitchy, he tries to reach Markus on a level that will allow the two to work together. Even after irritating Markus beyond belief, Kaas jumps into the family dynamic that is sometimes very charming even if it irritates the parental unit.

Brygmann as Lennart is another emotional bag of hot mess, but he brings to the group more ways to get information to help Markus. It is Otto that tries to keep the situation together and Lennart needs Otto to keep him together. Bro as Emmenthaler is the computer whiz but again, he is someone who can go off the rails just by touching his precious computer parts. He makes it clear he will help but no one is to make his life crazier than it already is.

Gadeberg as Mathilde is a young woman dealing with the loss of the family she loved so much. Turning to her boyfriend for some stability, it irritates her father more than it would any other father because Markus responds quickly. Mathilde lets him know how she is feeling and shares her feelings with the new group that has taken up residence in her home.

Other cast include Roland Moller as Kurt, Albert Lindhardt as Sirius, Anne Lind as Emma, Jacob Lohmann as Kenneth, Henrik Olesen as Noah, Gustav Giese as Adrian and Gustav Lindh as Bodashka.

Magnet Releasing is a part of Magnolia Pictures that specializes in films from the vanguard of horror, action, comedy and Asian cinema. It is also the home of classics like Tomas Alfredson’s LET THE RIGHT ON IN, Ti West’s THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL, Andre Ovredal’s TROLLHUNTER, Neil Marshall’s sword and sandals bloodbath CENTURION and Tony Jaa’s ONG BAK trilogy. Recent released include the terrifying anthologies V/H/S and V/H/S/2, Xan Cassavettes’ stylish vampire film KISS OF THE DAMNED, and the sci-fi thriller THE LAST DAYS ON MARS. To find out more please visit www.magnetreleasingfilms.com.

RIDERS OF JUSTICE is such a mash up of emotion, action, reaction, family, loss, and revenge – and that’s just the role of Markus! Adding three other people to the mix who bring their own brand of insecurities and knowledge that it is no wonder our main character feels like he is more of a babysitter than a man on a mission.

That being said, this group of five does an amazing job of checking all the boxes through every human emotion imaginable and even humor from time to time seeps its way into the story. This is also a story of revenge that gets caught up in itself to the point where it is impossible to know how each character will stop before it’s too late.

In the end – someone is going to pay!