“Riders of Justice,” a Danish film directed by Anders Thomas Jensen, is an action-packed dark comedy that didn’t waste any time creating kind messages amongst violence.

This movie is a story about an army vet named Markus, played by Mads Mikkelsen, who comes home from Iraq because it appears his wife was killed during a train accident. He struggles to deal with the trauma of war and the loss of his wife while trying to take care of his teenage daughter, Mathilde, played by Andrea Heick Gadeberg. Things get more complicated for Markus from there. 

A mathematician named Otis, played by Nikolaj Lie Kaas, was on the same train as Markus’s wife and daughter and has some other thoughts as to what really happened the day his wife was killed. Otis believes the accident was caused by an infamous gang. 

With that information, Markus and Otis form their own gang made of Otis’s friends, Lennart and Emmenthaler. They go on a hunt to find the people behind the attack. With their knowledge of technology, fighting skills and even pretending to be a therapist, the actions and results come with strange and funny outcomes along the way. 

But amidst the whole action, the gang also learns more about themselves, especially Markus, who learns how to reconnect and heal with his daughter following their traumas. The whole situation turns out to be more difficult than being on the battlefield for Markus. 

 The cast was funny throughout all of the scenes, even the more serious ones, but Jensen’s direction nailed the combination of comedy and action perfectly. 

From dealing with grief to learning how to work as a team during some of the strangest actions, this film succeeded. If you have a very dark sense of humor and are a fan of Mikkelsen, this film is for you. “Riders of Justice” was a wild surprise hit at the Independent Film Festival Boston.