6/4/21 - Riders of Justice (2020) - 7/10
It’s a Danish film so it must be dark, somewhat bleak, and with a grimly odd sense of humor. And because it is a Danish film of high quality, it has to have Mads Mikkelsen in it. The ultimate cinematic brooder stoics over every frame until his “ever-present but always impactful” emotional breakdown which is prudently supplied. He is great, as expected (pulling off the character that is easy to dislike but still identify with) as is the film. It is quirkily funny, agonizing in its plumbed psychological pain of all present, and efficiently brutal.
A film of loss, searching for meaning to explain such loss, and an outlet to alleviate the bosom burden such loss brings. A savage comedy of errors ensues, dragging along personal scars and deficiencies to heal and grow. Homicidal revenge is the obvious course, along with lots of lying (to oneself as much as others), and building a new family from the wound riddled corpse of the slain one.
There are some troublesome non-politically correct dialogue thrown about, but I feel like that is a cultural difference rearing its less comely head. Despite those out-of-touch moments, the film is very enjoyable, brings poignancy, and allows for succinct moments of genuine beauty.
