Critics reviews

Undertaken with a playful, ironical nod to heist or revenge thrillers assembling their specialists, Riders of Justice certainly doesn’t laugh in the face of its unusual crew... The tender portrait of each character’s reasons is as affecting as the writing – and indeed its delivery – is often outrageously funny.

Bolstered by excellent performances from all of its cast members (but predominantly from Lie Kass, Brygmann, and Mikkelsen), "Riders of Justice" manages to shake off its occasional formulaic moments and become something much more profound than you think it would be. Certainly not one to miss.

[The film's] fine actors give us wildly different takes on masculinity, and there's just enough earnestness in the script to deliver some touching moments. But the escalating farce is what it's all about and Jensen goes full pelt to deliver bad taste fun and exuberant eccentricity, and the game ensemble get stuck in with aplomb.

["Riders of Justice"] suggests a collaboration between Charles Bronson and the Three Stooges, undercut with a surprising quota of tenderness... A braver, more honest film might have insisted on a bitter note to Markus’s crusade, but Jensen loves his damaged ensemble too much to follow through on any real-world consequences. It’s hard to blame him: you’ll love them too.

Stuck between comedy and revenge thriller, Riders of Justice often feels lost, sitting on a fence that does little for the narrative. When it dives headfirst into comedy, it is a highly enjoyable watch... When it attempts to amp the tension, however, something is amiss. We expect the unhinged madness of Mikkelsen, and what we get is frustratingly contained.

Jensen has crafted a tale of ultraviolence and anger mismanagement that is somehow also a sweet buddy pic and family flick, filled with both the chaotic mayhem of wayward masculinity and the miraculous spirit of Christmas giving.

Given Jensen’s prolific experience as a screenwriter, the plot is as tidy as can be despite a labyrinthine series of twists and populated by fully realised characters who transcend their comedy stereotypes... ["Riders of Justice"] works both as a tarmac-black comedy and as an exciting thriller. And with a coda featuring Mads Mikkelsen in an ugly Christmas pullover, it also proves surprisingly touching as well.

Jensen effectively orchestrates sequences and punctuates his dialogue in a way that suggests a sub-Coens kinship... [and] if the effect is ultimately limited, it’s at least not inconsiderable... [Yet] he sublimates his weirdo comedic instincts to more middlebrow aims. It’s understandable that the director wouldn’t want to indulge in mere rehash, but in kowtowing to the over-earnest emotionalism that defined much of his mid-aughts scriptwork, he largely mutes the singularity he’s been building toward as a director. The result of this odd marriage is a film that boasts frequent bursts of personality, but is ultimately rendered anonymous.

Deliriously wry and so perfectly balanced it should become a case study in script classes, “Riders of Justice” may be the film that finally gives Anders Thomas Jensen international recognition... Comparisons with the Coen brothers will be inevitable given oddball characters whose fixations and genuine heart contrast with moments of extreme violence, yet the roots of this black revenge comedy go back even further... ["Riders of Justice"] is deliciously, blackly entertaining.

Each protagonist can easily be described as one-dimensional... yet here these cardboard characters are played by A-list actors like Mads Mikkelsen and Nicolas Bro, and a surprising amount of depth is given to each of them. Revenge flicks do not normally carry this much positive sentiment, while bleak violence dramas are rarely this funny or colorful.

"Riders Of Justice" is salty, violent, transgressive, button-pushing, non-PC and laugh-out-loud funny at times – and when you’re not gasping or laughing, it’s only to wonder at the mind which pulled all of this together.

The film is refreshing as it satirises family conflicts, euphemisms surrounding death and traditional approaches to crime-solving... The personal and situational conflicts provide the film’s ludicrous streak so Riders never slips into mawkish territory... Eventually the men get a result, although not necessarily the one they intended, but that’s very much the point of "Riders of Justice" – it’s the ultimate antidote to terrorist thrillers.