Tag: Danish

“Fatal Crossing” – TV Series Review

A scene from the Danish crime drama miniseries “Fatal Crossing.” Courtesy of MHz Choice

If you’re in the mood for a dark, slow-moving Danish crime drama miniseries, “Fatal Crossing” (originally “Pigerne fra Englandsbåden”) might fill the bill. Nora (Marie Sando Jondal) is a Danish journalist working for a major London paper. The story opens with her being suspended for boinking the tycoon she was profiling, who wound up being arrested for fraud. Tail between her legs (figuratively, not literally) she shuffles back to her hometown in North Zealand and moves in with her dad to escape the flak in England. That attempted withdrawal is dinged when someone anonymously stuffs her mailbox with photos from the unsolved disappearance of two teen girls in 1984 from a ferry to England. It was a big deal at the time, and still casts a pall over the community. As she starts probing that case, another young girl goes missing. For eight hour-long episodes we follow her investigation as it takes many turns. Could there be a link between the old and the new? Have there been others in between perpetrated by the same undetected serial killer(s)?

Nora’s abilities are validated somewhat by her uncle, who owns the local paper that launched her award-winning career abroad. He gives her a desk and a short leash. She turns to an old friend, Andreas (Jesper Hagelskaer Paasch), who is now on the police force. She thinks there may have been a cover-up of the earlier events. Andreas is conflicted, because he sees some questionable aspects of that file, but his late, revered father was the lead cop on the case. Law enforcement vs. legacy?

I won’t elaborate on specific plot details. Nora’s efforts take her to England and back, unearth possible connections to a number of similar disappearances, and lead to multiple suspects. A couple of supporting characters chip in excellently creepy performances – notably Susan A. Olsen’s Jytte, Ian Burns’ Hix, and Karin Bang Heinemeier’s turn as the mother of the latest victim. The series is long on mood and dialog and short on action, as all sorts of psychological issues from previous traumas of multiple figures are hashed out. Dead, departed and distant parents seem unfortunately common for such a small town.

The slow emotional and investigative themes of the first six episodes pick up considerably in the last two, with more physical action and danger. Nora is not the most bond-able of protagonists. She makes some costly mistakes, and seems overly self-absorbed, with little regard for the effects of her moods and actions on those around her. And any mystery buff will second-guess about some questions she should have asked. Even so, Nora maintains enough appeal and reasons for the way she faces the world for us to hope she purges her devils and solves the crimes.

Side note: Kudos to the casting director who chose Bue Wandahl and Mogens Holm to play Nora’s father and uncle. Both handle their roles with suitable dignity and sensitivity, while bearing enough resemblance to actually look like brothers.

FATAL CROSSING, in Danish with English subtitles, debuts streaming on MHz Choice on Tuesday, June 10, 2025.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars

A scene from the Danish crime drama miniseries “Fatal Crossing.” Courtesy of MHz Choice

“Chaos” – TV Series Review

A scene from Danish TV series CHAOS. Courtesy of Viaplay

The Danish dramedy ”Chaos” (originally “Kaos”) offers a change of pace from the murder and crime fare I’ve been mainly covering. The title refers to a few elements of upheaval in the lives of spouses Lise (Katrine Greis-Rosenthal) and Martin (Hadi Ka-Koush). They’ve been hosting a popular morning TV talk show for a decade. But new management wants a younger demographic and gives their show the axe. Lise wheedles the incoming boss into granting them a month to generate a big upswing in total viewers, with emphasis on a high percentage of those treasured 18 – 24 year-old eyeballs.

The setup seems perfect for a satire on the TV industry, how decisions are made and how they affect everyone involved on both sides of the screen. But they don’t keep primary focus there. Lise’s desperate scramble for new ideas to reach those market-share goals is enmeshed with parental issues and marital discord, including the temptation of a potential new lover. The dark humor of the lengths they go to in trying to meet the deadline is unfortunately diluted by melodrama – some of which makes little sense, in context.

Lise is ambitious and zealous in trying new ideas that might preserve her turf, but not the virago of other TV personalities like Nicole Kidman’s deceptively devious character in 1995’s TO DIE FOR. 

Katrine’s performance is admirable, considering the multiple facets of a persona she has to portray. The proceedings are boosted by several supporting players – notably Silje Havmoller Schmidt as Sarah, her  bright, loyal intern;  and Andreas Jebro’s increasingly panicked turn as the show’s producer, Mads. The plot provides a basis for many fine visuals and good use of some lovely exterior settings.

Regular readers know of my distaste for cliffhangers. These eight half-hour episodes end with some degree of closure, but dangle a big question for a possible second season. Since it aired in Denmark only last year, that’s a possibility. I was engaged enough to be curious about if and how the story continues.

CHAOS, in Danish with English subtitles, debuts streaming on Viaplay on Thursday, May 22, 2025.

RATING: 2 out of 4 stars

“Trom” Season One – TV series review

Ulrich Thomsen as Hannis, in Danish TV series “Trom,” Season One. Courtesy of MHz Choice

The somber crime drama series from Danish TV, “Trom” Season One,” offers several plusses and minuses in its six-episode package. Let’s start with the good side:

Ulrich Thomsen stars as a veteran journalist Hannis, who’d left his Faroe Island home many years before due to events that wore out his welcome. Thomsen has garnered about 40 awards and nominations worldwide in his distinguished career. He brings a weathered gravitas to this role. He’s probably best-known in the US as Kai, the almost Bondian villain in our excellent “Banshee” series, and is equally effective here as the protagonist.

Hannis has achieved much, but his investigations into improper or illegal practices of the rich and powerful have made him something of a social pariah. He receives a letter from a woman back home who claims to have evidence for a huge story that’s right in his wheelhouse. Unfortunately, she disappears under dubious circumstances just before his arrival. What follows is the framework for a suspenseful and dangerous pursuit of her fate and the story that triggered everything that follows.

Another asset is the character and performance of Olaf Johannessen’s Ragnar. What a great villain he makes! He’s the head of a fawning religious cult, and the richest man in the Faroes, with a hand in every business – especially the fishing and whaling that provide their economic base and the majority of the jobs. Ragnar’s combo of charisma, piety and ruthlessness make him a formidable foe. The main plot driver is illegal fishing and whaling practices, pitting ecology against economics, and profits against a slew of laws. For added intrigue, Sonja (Helena Hedinsdottir), the woman who lured Hannis back, had a reason other than his track record for selecting him.

Fine, so far. But now come the caveats. The Faroes might have a pristine appeal, but they look pretty barren and bleak throughout these proceedings. Better as a backdrop for dark drama than as a boost for tourism. The scripts are complex and suspenseful, but dreadfully slow. Patience is at least required, if not tested. Though the season is shorter than most – playing out in under 300 minutes – it seems longer.

Worst of all is that it ends with some bits of closure, while leaving significant issues unresolved. Regular readers know my distaste for cliffhangers, so be duly warned if you feel the same. A reliable source informs me that a second season was ready to roll, until delayed by an impasse in negotiations between unions and streamers in Denmark. This season aired in 2022, so there should still be time to round up the troops for resuming when that dust settles.

“Trom,” Season One, mostly in Danish and Faroese with English subtitles, is available streaming on MHz Choice starting Tuesday, Dec. 17.

RATING: 2 out of 4 stars

A scene from Danish TV series “Trom,” Season One. Courtesy of MHz Choice

PRISONER – TV Series Review

Sofie Grabol as Miriam in the Danish TV prison drama series “Prisoner.” Photo by Adam Wallensten. Courtesy of MHZ Choice

Prison films and series tend to pick one of the following themes: Action flicks with plenty of fighting, starring the likes of a Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, Jean-Claude Van Damme or Scott Adkins. Usually, it’s a good guy fighting for survival against overwhelming odds. Next would be the slew of sexploitation women-in-chains sort, using the premise as an excuse for nudity and other aspects of lurid appeal. Most were B movies that thrived in the 1970s –‘80s. The “Orange is the New Black” series classed that genre up considerably without losing its titillation value. Then there were high-quality character dramas like SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, COOL HAND LUKE and THE ROCK (the movie, not the actor). Finally come comedies like THE LONGEST YARD (original: great fun, remake: lame).

The six-episode subtitled Danish drama “Prisoner” (in Denmark, “Huset”) manages to break relatively new ground with a bleak, claustrophobic drama of variably flawed characters on both sides of the law in its first season.

The star is Sofie Grabol as Miriam – one of the guards trying to do right by the law and the prisoners in a corrupted system. She’s starred in three series I’ve covered this year, making her either Northern Europe’s hottest property, or there’s just a fortuitous coincidence among current exports. Either way, she’s a fine, versatile talent with 35 awards and nominations to date from several European bodies. She excelled as a police detective in “The Killing,” and as a hospital’s chief midwife in “The Shift.” Those set the bar higher than this outing could reach, though through no fault of hers.

Grabol looks to have been frumped up for this role, befitting a character long beleaguered by inmates,colleagues on the take, a dysfunctional work environment and a son whose drug habit and criminal ties add plenty to her burdens. And to the plot. Most of the show is from her perspective, along with Sammi (Youssef Wayne Hyvidtfeldt), the stuffy by-the-book new guard she helps to train. The prison has been running on a laissez faire policy of looking the other way on the prisoners’ drugs, contraband and periodic brawls or stabbings among rival factions. Letting them do their thing keeps the place relatively calm and makes the guards’ lives far easier. And safer. And for some, lucrative.

That all changes when well-meaning warden Gert (Charlotte Fich) announces that a new prison is being built, dooming one of three – possibly theirs – to closure, either ending their jobs or sticking them with a 75-mile commute to the nearest alternative position. Inspectors will be monitoring operations for three months to decide which Big House gets the wrecking ball. That pressures the guards to begin scouring cells for forbidden fruit, and enforcing all rules far more diligently than before, hoping to convince the brass to shut down one of the other two Graybar Hotels. Naturally, the inmates bristle at the sudden loss of pleasures and profits this imposes, putting all careers and bodies at risk.

Seems like the setup for a gritty, brutal drama, doesn’t it? Well, the trio of credited writers – two of whom also directed episodes – thought otherwise. They went for a slow-moving, highly cynical presentation, with little regard for arousing viewer empathy or adrenaline. Sets are mostly drab and dimly-lit, inside the prison and out. Not much in the sex/skin department; relatively shy on displays of brutality.

Miriam and Gert are generally the most sympathetic, but neither character’s actions make them protagonists to root hard for. For me, bonding with a worthy anchoring character or group is fairly essential to sustaining interest in what happens – more so for the time a series takes compared to movies. Perhaps they were focused on hammering home critiques of Danish and other prison systems as more of a political statement than entertainment product. If so, they achieved their goal. But that doesn’t make for must-see viewing. On the plus side, the six episodes end without cliffhangers of consequence, so it works as a complete miniseries if there’s ne’er to be a Season 2.

“Prisoner: Season 1,” mostly in Danish with English subtitles, streams on MHz Choice as of Mar. 12.

RATING: 1.5 out of 4 stars

Charlotte Fich as Gert in the Danish TV prison drama series “Prisoner.” Photo by Adam Wallensten. Courtesy of MHz Choice

“The Shift” Season 1 TV Series Review

Sofie Gråbøl in the Danish TV hospital drama “The Shift.” Courtesy of MHz Choice

The Danish TV hospital drama “The Shift (originally Dag & Nat)”offers some interesting contrasts with our domestic fare. Ella (Sofie Grabol) stars as the chief midwife for the highest-rated maternity ward in the city. She’s single, in her 40s and besieged by problems on all fronts. The worst of them is the hospital’s money guy who consistently ignores her pleas and arguments to add staff for the sake of her overburdened crew and their patients. Several of the midwives and aides present an assortment of personal and professional issues to manage. She’s boinking a married doctor (Pal Sverre Hagen) on the down-low, and constantly worried about her public facility that serves the underclass losing colleagues to upscale private hospitals and clinics catering to the wealthy. Those places can pay more while working them less.

Over eight 45-minute episodes we get to know quite a few regulars’ evolving story arcs along with the steady flow of new patients every day through about 10 months of scripted time. There’s little humor and considerable dramatic tension with the variety of delivery complications that arise, as well as the relationships among the staff. As to the series’ tone, it’s less turgid than our medical soap operas; less sexy and glamorous than “Gray’s Anatomy”. “Nurse Jackie” might be the closest analog. Grabol, who was excellent in three seasons of “The Killing (Forbrydelsen)” as the lead police detective, reminds me of Edie Falco’s character – minus the drug addiction. She’s excellent at her job but emotionally stunted with everyone except the patients, while regularly having to scramble for solutions to whatever crisis occurs. This role is more complicated her top cop’s gig, so her solid performance is somewhat more of an achievement.

My concern was that limiting a series to one specialized ward, rather than the full spectrum of medical challenges that most domestic dramas thrive on, would wear thin. Thankfully, the deliveries had more diversity of surrounding problems than expected, keeping the episodes from seeming repetitive. That worked well for one season but may be hard to maintain over a long run. Creator/head writer Lone Scherfig and her five credited fellow scribes deserve a nod for whipping up an engaging variety of scenarios. A second season is in the works, so all who enjoy this set will hope they can sustain that level of creativity.

Here’s where opinions may differ. A number of the deliveries are shown in gory detail that some will find riveting, while others may be grossed out. None of it seemed gratuitous. No nudity in the deliveries or the linen closet quickies. The moderate attractiveness of the overall cast provides more realism and less hype around their romances than many of ours thrive on. That tenor was reinforced by reflecting real-world healthcare hassles – especially the underfunded and understaffed conditions many providers face everywhere. Although the number of episodes was suitable for the material covered, some of the personal interactions were frustrating to watch. Conflicts dragged on needlessly from the failure to say something obvious in the moment. That grew a bit annoying. Perhaps it’s part of the Danish ethos to play feelings closer to the vest. Or maybe I’m aging out of empathy for such emotional struggles. Your mileage may vary.

“The Shift (Dag & Nat),” mostly in Danish with English subtitles, streams on MHz Choice starting Jan. 16, 2024.

RATING: 2 out of 4 stars

“The Bridge: Seasons 2 & 3” TV Series Review

A scene from the Swedish-Danish crime TV series “The Bridge.” Courtesy of Topic

Back in 2011, the Scandinavian crime series, “The Bridge,” was not only hugely popular in Europe but spawned quite a few remakes and derivatives on both sides of the Atlantic. The now oft-used premise is that a body is found straddling the national border of a bridge joining Denmark and Sweden, creating jurisdictional confusion. That gets worse when they discover that the top and bottom halves are from two different women. Successor series have been set on the US/Mexico, Singapore/Malaysia, Greece/Turkey and the Russia/Estonia borders. A France/England version used the Chunnel in the same way. That list may be more illustrative than complete, since variations exist under non-bridgey titles. In each, a cop from one side partners with one from the other, despite cultural and personal differences that add tensions and friction to the whodunnit component.

This original paired Sweden’s detective Saga Noren (Sofia Helin) with Denmark’s Martin Rhode (Kim Bodnia). Since all cop duo dramas or comedies must begin with irritating differences, Saga is somewhere on the high-functioning end of The Spectrum – brilliant, hyper-focused, feeling virtually no emotions in her professional or personal lives, and blunt with everyone about what she’s thinking – unable to use normal sensitivities in any conversation. What she thinks will be what she says.

Martin is the grizzled, world-weary Dane who can be soft and supportive when the situation calls for tact. The two don’t particularly like or understand what makes each other tick, but mutual respect evolves during this somber season of shared sleuthing, weaving their way through a maze of political and financial motives and suspects.

Season Two opens 13 months after the first and introduces some new detectives before settling in with the first pair. This year’s plot escalates from the realm of crime to international terrorism. Even so, there’s a significant carryover from Season One affecting roles and actions in the new case. Without providing details, the season ends in a way that might preclude the two sharing any other cases.

Season Three, another 13 months later, pairs Saga with a younger Danish partner, Henrik (Thure Lindhardt) and returns to the more familiar realm of civilian murders, with a serial killer dispatching victims in apparently ritualistic, attention-seeking displays. Really gory, too, with each posed differently. Both seasons are filled, if not overrun, with characters and subplots, giving viewers more of a challenge than average. As usual, I recommend starting from the beginning to understand the carryover elements. Bingeing each season is advisable for keeping their plots and players in mind. As one expects from a Scandinavian drama, the tone is somber – longer on mood than action, and even lower on moments of levity. Both sets do a pretty good job of living up to Season One’s level of quality in scripting, acting and production values. A final fourth season aired abroad and is sure to follow here shortly. Stay tuned , as they say…

“The Bridge: Seasons 2 and 3,” mostly in Swedish and Danish with English subtitles, streams on Topic starting Tuesday, Dec. 26.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars

ROSE – Review

L-R: Lene Maria Christensen as Ellen, Sofie Grabol as Inger, and Anders W. Berthelsen as Ellen’s husband, in the Danish film ROSE. photo: Martin Dam Kristensen/Nordisk Film. Courtesy of Game Theory

The subtitled Danish dramedy ROSE features an award-worthy performance from its star, elevating what could have been treacly melodrama. It’s often said that leading roles with some sort of disability provide Oscar bait. But that doesn’t always work out as well as it does here. For example, the Campbell Scott vehicle DYING YOUNG still annoys me whenever I think about it, even though it’s been over 30 years since I sat through the thing.

Sofie Grabol stars as Inger, a schizophrenic woman living with, and closely monitored by, her parents. We learn that her condition was one of adult onset, with progressive insights into possible causative factors from her backstory. But when her sister Ellen (Lene Maria Christensen) and brother-in-law (Anders W. Berthelsen) decide to take her on a bus tour to Paris, we watch with trepidation. Inger is prone to retreating into herself, or to sudden outbursts of anger, brutal honesty about her feelings in a conversation, with a sense of looming harm her condition might lead her to do to herself or others. Between periods of withdrawal and flareups, we see bits of the bright, talented personable woman she had been.

The trip is a suspenseful set of unpredictable swings between her old self and whatever the voice in her head may tell her to do or say. The reactions of her fellow travelers realistically run the gamut from supportive to angry and scared. Seeming impossible to manage can flip quickly into her mastery of a situation. She bounces between derailing the journey for all and making it better than it could have been without her, with no way to predict what facet of her personality will manifest.

The screenplay from writer/director Niels Arden Oplev (who directed the original Danish GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATOO) contains an ideal mix of tension, comic relief and exposition. No cutesy feelgood artifice in the package. Inger’s illness may not perfectly represent the lives of those with her condition but it feels about as honest as entertainment films can get. It was supposedly inspired by a true story, but not offered as a documentary. As I write this, star Sofie Grabol and the production have earned 10 awards and nominations in Denmark. More are sure to follow.

Since most of the running time occurs while the group is in Paris, the sets and scenery are major assets. Disclosing more about the plot or characters would be a disservice to the experience. Just know that a reviewer who generally shuns dramas with such a premise is very pleased to have seen this one.

ROSE, in Danish and French, with English subtitles, opens in theaters Nov. 15 and will be available streaming on Dec. 26.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars

ATTACHMENT – Review

Josephine Park as Maja, David Dencik as Lev the bookseller, and Sofie Grabol as Leah’s mom, Chana, in ATTACHMENT. Photo credit: Soeren Kirkegaard. Courtesy of Shudder

ATTACHMENT is a strange little Danish indie drama that keeps viewers off-balance in several respects for a psychological, and possibly supernatural, suspense tale. It opens with Maja (Josephine Park) and Leah (Ellie Kendrick) having the sort of meet-cute at a Danish bookstore that usually kicks off a rom-com. Maja is a local actress whose career highs may already be behind her. Leah is a student from England who was raised in a Hassidic community. She came to Copenhagen to connect with her mother’s Danish roots. Chemistry kicks in quickly, and the two young women become lovers.

When a leg injury puts Leah on crutches, she stays there a few days longer than planned. That’s enough time for Maja to become so enamored that she accompanies her to London. The two move into Leah’s flat, which is the second floor of her mother’s building. That’s where it starts becoming obvious that this ain’t gonna be no comedy.

Leah’s mom, Chana (Sofie Grabol), is wildly over-protective, secretive and surly towards this outsider. Hassidic communities are always rather self-contained, and this blonde gentile is swimming in strange waters. Leah is mostly bed-ridden, and surprisingly tolerant of her mother’s hovering, which includes all sorts of rituals, amulets and artifacts to ward off evil spirits.

The only one who educates Maja (and the audience) about the culture, including Jewish mysticism, is Lev (David Dencik), the bookseller. Maja hears strange sounds at night, as a sense of danger lurks around the edges of the home and its occupants. Is Chana a nut case? Is Leah pathologically co-dependent? Or is there a valid reason for all the precautions against evil spirits?

That all makes ATTACHMENT a multi-pronged title, covering Maja’s romantic devotion to Leah; the tight mother-daughter bond; and whether some demonic entity is nesting within the home or its occupants. I can’t give you more without spoilers.

Writer/director Gabriel Gier Gislason does well wearing both hats. The script fills in a lot of essential Jewish education without detracting from the unfolding tale. As director, he keeps viewers in suspense and engaged within a rather claustrophobia-inducing set. Very little of the running time occurs outside the abodes of the three women, or in bright light. That accentuates the spooky side of the production. Performances from the three are excellent, which is especially admirable considering the range of moods required to flesh out their personalities and story arcs.

ATTACHMENT, in English and Danish with English subtitles, streams exclusively on Shudder starting Thursday, Feb. 9.

RATING: 2 out of 4 stars

THE KILLING – TV Series Review

A scene from the Danish TV series “The Killing.” Photo courtesy of Topic Entertainment.

This subtitled Danish TV crime drama series “The Killing”(original title “Forbrydelsen”) will impress you as either riveting or tedious, depending on how much time you want to spend on this binge. Like most European crime series, this one is more cerebral than visceral. Their fictional cops just don’t get into as many fights and shootouts as our made-up heroes. It runs 20 hours of a single, extremely complicated homicide, compared to the norm of solving such cases in an 8 – 10 episode season.

Sara Lund (Sofie Grabol) is a Copenhagen detective on her last day before moving to Sweden with her beau and son. She’s assigned to one last crime scene to break in her replacement, Detective Meyer (Soren Maling). The body of the young woman they find shows such prolonged and brutal treatment that Lund just can’t let it go, staying on the job much longer than planned. This is quite upsetting to both her family and colleagues – especially Meyer, who is something of a jerk, resenting her hands keeping the reins at his expense.

Suspects rise and fall like a game of whack-a-mole, as each new bit of evidence points the “J’accuse” finger at a different suspect, often seeming to exonerate the last one. Perhaps it was a crime of passion; there’s a strong chance of some political connection, greatly complicating the hotly-contested mayor election in process throughout the investigation. And just for another layer of confusion, this might be the work of a yet-undiscovered serial killer.

The script is highly intelligent, juggling more characters and plot lines than usual for the genre. We meet a slew of civilians affected by the tragedy and watch how lives crumble in various ways due to grief, suspicions and frustrations as each seeming explanation gets debunked by some other revelation. The political thread runs deeply and cynically throughout the season, with lines between the ones to like or dislike shifting and blurring constantly. Is the idealistic candidate (Lars Mikkelsen) as good as he seems, or involved in the murder and cover-up? Viewers can never be certain about who to believe or trust.

The 20-hour investment will be rewarded for those who have the discretionary time and patience. If you’re not geared for that length of involvement, don’t get started. You might wait for the release of its following seasons, in which the crimes at hand are resolved in about half the time, or less. Or you may be interested in the in the English-language remake (also titled The Killing) starring Mirielle Enos as Lund’s US counterpart. Both ran for several seasons.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars

RIDERS OF JUSTICE – Review

A scene from RIDERS OF JUSTICE (Retfærdighedens Ryttere), a Magnet release.
Photo credit: Rolf Konow. Courtesy of Magnet Releasing

Although the title reads like something from a 1930s Western, this is a very contemporary Danish revenge flick with a unique blend of action and comedy, written and directed by Anders Thomas Jensen and starring Mads Mikkelsen (Oscar-winning ANOTHER ROUND, TV’s “Hannibal”). It is also my favorite film, thus far, of 2021. Sneaky excellence in a surprising package.

We open with math geek Otto (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) struggling to explain the commercial value of his algorithm for predictions, factoring far more causal factors than any other program. It is akin to the axiomatic butterfly in Africa fluttering its wings setting in motion a chain of events that result in something quite different across the globe. The tunnel-vision Board fails to see how it will serve their only goal of selling their product, so they fire him and his fellow nerds.

That lands him in a commuter train car (earlier than usual) which explodes, killing a bunch of the passengers. One is a woman to whom he chivalrously gave his seat. Otto and the woman’s teen daughter, Mathilde (Andrea Heick Gadeberg) survive. He learns that the key witness about to testify against the head of a local gang of thugs – the eponymous Riders – is another casualty of this seeming accident.

But filled with survivor’s guilt, and licking the fresh wounds of his rejected program, Otto recalls seeing something that convinces him the blast was a planned hit on the witness, rather than a random bit of bad luck. The police dismiss his speculation. So Otto and his cohorts Lennart (Lars Brygmann) and Emmenthaler (Nicolas Bro) start trying to prove their point via their method. They take this idea to the husband of the unlucky lady, Markus (Mads Mikkelsen), a hard-nosed career soldier who was forced to interrupt his career abroad to try being a parent to his surly teen daughter Mathilde.

From that point on, the movie is a masterful blend of action, slapstick and character comedy as the foursome hunts the perps to right that hideous wrong, while keeping Markus’ daughter from learning what they’re doing. She’s busy trying to convince her angry, taciturn dad to open up and deal with his feelings, not knowing his method is already in process, and about as far from a shrink’s couch as one could get.

This film plays as a welcome novelty in the “Don’t-F***-with- My-Family” genre. Mikkelsen assumes the mantle of a Danish Liam Neeson, who has established himself (and his particular set of skills) as an Irish Charles Bronson, who made a career of being an American Chuck Norris, with the bonus of added range and talent. There is plenty of action, delightful humor and the proper amount of emotional work in this wonderful dark comedy. The four male avengers contribute first-rate performances in fleshing out relatable, complex protagonists. With all the worldwide travel restrictions of the past year, we can be grateful none apply to importing films like this.

RIDERS OF JUSTICE, in Danish with English subtitles, opens Friday, May 14, at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinema and streaming on demand.

RATING: 3 1/2 out of 4 stars