RIDERS OF JUSTICE

Denmark, 2021, 115 minutes, Colour.

Mads Mikkelson, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Lars Brygmann, Nicolas Bro, Andrea Heick Gadeborg.

Directed by Anders Thomas Jensen.

Riders of Justice is quite an experience. No, that is something of an understatement. In its way, it is quite exhilarating. But, of course there are cautions.

The credits say that the screenplay, by the director. Anders Thomas Jensen and his associate, Nikolaj Arcel (himself a prolific writer and director) is attributed to “After an idea of…”. It would have been most interesting to be a fly on the wall as the two kept on getting more and more ideas, tossing them, tangling them, seeing how far they could go. In fact, if there were to be an award for screenplay which was completely unpredictable from moment to moment, sequence to sequence, Riders of Justice would be a top contender.

It might be possible to write a synopsis of the film, though that would be a challenge, but very difficult to communicate (and the same goes for a reviewer) the changes of mood, the eccentricities of the characters, the funny repartee, the eruptions of violence. It probably should be mentioned that one of the main characters has continual Tourette’s outbursts, no holds barred, and his syndrome seems to be infectious for most of the other characters. They do look graphic up there in the subtitles rather than simply hearing them. And, there are some shootouts and shoot ups (with the continual challenge as to whose side we are on).

The introduction to the characters is arresting, Mathilde, a young girl, wanting a bicycle for Christmas; her military father phoning to say he cannot return for three months; a boardroom meeting with two eccentric characters who are putting a proposal about using statistics for predictions – they are fired! But, mother and daughter and one of the eccentrics find themselves together on a train, an explosion, the mother killed. And the statistician noting the suspicious behaviour of a passenger, going to the police with this information, but not really believed. Actually, looking at the characters and listening to them, who would believe that? But, each of them in his own way is quite obsessive, caught up in theory, but also one of them being an absolute expert in hacking, and their having another friend whose life is absorbed by hacking, collating information, extraordinary resources – so that the three are able to identify the suspicious man on the train.

In the meantime, the military man comes home, tries to relate to his daughter, failing. She is also interest in the chain of events, the unpredictable happenings that led to the tragedy, a series of post-its on her bedroom wall. Later in the film, the statistician and Mathilde will have a long conversation about the nature of events, happenings, coincidences, the various strands of life that lead to an event in the human mind unable to comprehend it all.

If this sounds intriguing, then the film itself and the development of the screenplay are much, much more intriguing. The three experts, looking and acting like a variation on the Three Stooges, team up with the military man, identifying the criminals, a man on the train with his lawyer, about to testify against the bikie gang, Riders of Justice. It all seems logical, given the technology, and the three move into the military man’s barn, a huge headquarters to probe the case. Actually, the plan keeps going skewiff, including deaths, shooting, the rescuing of a male escort from Ukraine who ends up doing the equivalent of au pair work with the daughter. Also in the act is her boyfriend, a smart cook whose recipes appear online – which ultimately has dangerous consequences.

Some mention should be made of grief, therapy, counselling, one of the eccentrics having to take over as a therapist (with the mention that in his own life he had had several thousand hours of therapy so knew what he was doing) – and some of the sessions both effective and funny.

Not sure whether this review is doing justice to Riders of Justice, but it is an experience of deadly serious episodes combined with ironic farce, shudder one moment, smile and laugh the next. And, the final shootout could be in serious competition with The Wild Bunch. But, at the end, some smiles, but it is Christmas, each receiving a gift, a French horn rendering of The Drummer Boy, Mathilde on her bike in the snow, and some tears forming in the eyes of the audience.

The cast is excellent. Mads Mikkelson as the soldier, his frequent collaborator, Nicolas Bro, comically capitalising on how large he is, as the computer expert, and a word for Andrea Heick Gadeborg as Mathilde, holding her own well with the adults.

1. The impact of the film? Serious? Comic? Clever?
2. Scandinavian filmmaking, reputation, directors and writers, actors, national appeal, international appeal?
3. The city settings, the countryside, the farm and the barn, the city, the clubs and haunts?
4. The intricacies of the screenplay, introduction to characters, so varied, bringing them together, interactions, leads, developments? The issues of fate, chance, coincidence, statistics? Pondering the mystery of events in the various strands leading to particular events?
5. Mathilde, her grandfather, the red bike, the blue bike, the gift, her riding, the bike being stolen? Contact with her mother, riding in the car, having to take the train? Her father, soldier, the phone call, having to stay three months? The mother, her reaction, mother and daughter taking the day off, the car, breakdown, on the train?
6. The introduction to the statisticians, the board meeting, their eccentricities, obsessions, complex explanations, failures, being fired?
7. Otto, in the train, observing, Mathilde and her mother, Otto offering the seat, the men leaving the train and disposing of his lunch, the explosion, injuries, the mother’s death? Hospital, Mathilde and the trauma, Otto and his sympathy, the father returning from his post?
8. The consequences for father and daughter, tensions, the need for therapy, the father and his tough military stances? The daughter, emotional, upset about being non-emotional? The clashes at home, her wanting to go to school? Her friendship with Sirius, his ability with cooking?
9. Otto, the discussions with Lennart, identifying the man on the train, the possibility of his being in Cairo, the alternate connection, going to the police, not being listened to? The decision to go to M and father, his obsessions, Tourette’s Syndrome, skills, computers, clashes with his friends? Further identification?
10. Otto going to Marcus? Explanations, plausibility, going to work in the barn? Marcus and his military background, decisions, identification of the man on the train, the witness on the train with his lawyer, about to give evidence, the Riders of Justice, the brother leader?
11. The initial expedition, going to the house, the confrontation with the man, Marcus and his anger, killing the men, Lennart discovering the escort boy? The reactions, police investigation, cover?
12. The further developments, the investigations, M and father and the barn, his work, tantrums? His wanting military training, the group going shooting, putting the guns together? Eventually going out, M and father and his failure, unable to shoot?
13. Mathilde, a puzzle about the men in the barn, needing therapy, Lennart stepping in, improvising, the story that he had thousands of hours in therapy, his methods, having the language, shrewd, skills, Mathilde’s response? Sirius and his parents as psychologists, his having the language and jargon?
14. Marcus, in the car, Otto upset, his being thrown out, going to the club, the stakeout, the shootings, some deaths by mistake, rescuing the escort, taking him home, the Ukrainian background, his own pair work, settling in, helping with the cooking, cleaning the house? And picking up Otto from the road?
15. The gang, their violence, going on the rampage? Going to the barn?
16. The strategies, the stakeout, Marcus and his military tactics, the eventual confrontation, the whole household lined up in front of the house, shooting the attackers? Marcus wounded?
17. Christmas, everybody safe, the happy household, Mathilde and her riding her bike, the gifts, M and file and the French horn, playing The Little Drummer Boy?