Riders of Justice Review: An Unconventional Revenge Thriller

Release date: May 14, 2021 (Theaters), May 21, 2021 (Digital)
Running time: 101 minutes
Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Andrea Heick Gadeberg, Lars Brygmann and Nicolas Bro
Directed by: Anders Thomas Jensen

Riders of Justice follows recently-deployed Markus , who is forced to return home to his care for his teenage daughter after his wife is killed in a tragic train accident. But when a survivor of the wrecked train surfaces claiming foul play, Markus begins to suspect his wife was murdered and embarks on a mission to find those responsible.

Riders of Justice explodes on the scene with a high impact, explosive opening sequence.  And this sequence starts a chain of events that leads to the whole revenge premise of the film.  However, what sets Riders of Justice apart from other revenge type films are the characters; you just have a strange set of people out for revenge with very different skill sets than your average film about aggrieved mercenaries.  Mikkelsen is the most capable as an ex soldier, but you also have a few statisticians, a technology guru, and a cook all doing their best to get revenge while avoiding their own certain death.  And their dynamic while pursuing their mission is a very enjoyable part of the film.  I loved seeing how they each added, and subtracted, to the overall effort.  I really liked the data-driven approach of the two statisticians and how they tries to analyze the strange occurrences in the film.  The film also has a twisted sense of humor when certain people end up being far more skilled than others at certain facets of this.  And Riders of Justice is definitely a revenge movie through and through, with some absolutely brutal and violent effects to accentuate the end goal of the film. 

The movie's revenge plot takes an interesting angle with a data-based approach to this that you don't normally see.  The statisticians and computer guru look at occurrences in the film to explain the strange circumstances that led to the overall need for revenge.  And this unconventional setup is perfectly fitting for the unconventional characters that the film introduces us to.  This also leads to plenty of humor as the gang interact and their very different personalities start to gel (and grate).  I really liked seeing the dynamic between the action oriented Mikkelson and the more thoughtful Kaas.  However, Riders of Justice can be overly dramatic, despite the subject matter.  There are some scenes that just didn't work for me given what the group set out to do.  And because you are dealing with characters who portray amateurs, you have some less exciting action when something does not go as planned.  And despite very much liking the characters, it also felt like many of them were under utilized.  However, at its core you get an unconventional revenge tale that has equal parts action, humor, and heart. 

Riders of Justice tells an unconventional revenge thriller with a misfit gang of mercenaries and plenty of action, humor, and heart.

Rent it. 

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Riders of Justice Review is available in theaters on May 14, 2021, and digitally, and on demand on May 21, 2021.  For showtimes, click here.

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