{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "description": "Mads Mikkelson is a gift. While Riders of Justice sits comfortably within the action genre, there is so much subtly and nuance surrounding that gunfire filled core. It's a movie about the unpredictable nature of life, about family both chosen and not, about trauma, grief and loss. It's a moving film that I'd gone into expecting little more than violence. A bike is stolen in one country for a girl in another and Markus and Mathilde's lives are irrevocably changed. Otto has faced his own loss, buoyed only by his cantankerous contemporaries Lennart and Emmenthaler and now must face his own guilt over a chance encounter that left Markus grieving his wife and Mathilde her mother. Markus is physically distant, deployed in an unnamed military theater and emotionally distant upon his return. Mathilde tries to retrace her steps and events in a futile attempt to find the root of the tragedy. Otto explains as much — life is too complex, the world is too chaotic for tragedy to be attributable to one single thing. We're reminded of this as the girl is gifted Mathilde's bike, oblivious to the tragic events that ensued and rides in circles in the snow. A slow loop. Life continues and snow falls, indifferent to the world beneath it. What we find is that trauma can unite us and destroy us in turn. Otto wants answers, Lennart and Emmenthaler antagonize and care deeply for each other. Mathilde grapples with a father who wasn't there and is distant and controlling upon his return. Markus needs therapy but, instead, pursues revenge and metes out violence. His trio of accomplices are dealing with their own trauma and to varying degrees of willingness, align their own pursuits of justice with his. Lennart turns his years of therapy as a patient into an informal practice guiding Mathilde. Otto lifts Markus up at his lowest and helps him keep going. The whole thing is a beautiful, beautiful affair. It's improbable and questions are left open, but there's an undeniable warmth and love woven throughout an amalgamated family united by grief, empathy and love. The closing Christmas scene is adorable and, by my estimation, makes this one of the better modern Christmas movies.",
  "path": "/watching/movies/riders-of-justice-2020",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-27T14:01:45Z",
  "site": "at://did:plc:sttgf52vkk46f6yuknvqxvgh/site.standard.publication/self",
  "tags": [
    "thriller",
    "action",
    "comedy",
    "drama"
  ],
  "title": "Riders of Justice"
}