Riders of Justice (2021)

This is hands down the most I've laughed during a film in years, and that takes into account a large number of self-described out and out comedies, of which this certainly isn't. That sounds like damning with faint praise, but rest assured Anders Thomas Jenson's Danish production starring the brilliant Mads Mikkelson is a treat to behold, and puts a real strain on your ribs. It's a black comedy drama, not an action comedy as some have pigeonholed it as. Mikkelson's Markus returns home from fighting in Afghanistan after his wife is killed in a train crash, to care for his teenage daughter. He is later visited by Otto, a numbers man who lives life through algorithms and who was also on the train that crashed. Otto is convinced that the crash was no accident, and with the help of a couple of friends thinks he can attribute the crash to a motorcycle gang, Riders Of Justice. On seeing the evidence presented to him, Markus wants revenge, and his new 'friends' are eager to help. What follows is a brilliantly written mash of comedy and drama that has real heart, and addresses issues of grief and fatherhood, as well as being utterly hilarious. The performances are fantastic, and Mikkelson, so brilliant recently in Another Round (2021) and previously The Hunt (2012) amongst others, anchors the seriousness of the films' subject matter whilst his fellow colleagues bicker to the point of ludicrousness, dropping some of the funniest filmic insults this side of the the decade. 7.9/10