Mads. It’s not only our star Mr. Mikkelsen’s first name, but a perfect description of what his character Markus is left with a mean case of after a trio of math geeks — statistical engineer Otto (Nikolaj Lie Kaas), expert computer hacker Lennart (Lars Brygmann), and Emmenthaler (Nicolas Bro), the 400 lb guy sitting on his bed that Trump prophesied — show up at his door with shocking news. It wasn’t the fault of fate that caused the accident. The passenger train crash his wife and daughter were involved in that claimed the latter’s life was staged to take out a member of the titular motorcycle gang en route to turn state’s evidence. Why seek the services of a crisis psychologist as teenage daughter Mathilde (Andrea Heick Gadeberg) pleads when Markus, a soldier with a passion for violence, can manage his volatile temper by taking it out on everyone he comes across? If none of the above sounds even vaguely amusing give it a reel and you’ll be convulsed with laughter. That’s precisely the joy of this movie: at any given moment you never know in what direction the plot’s bound to twist. Even more gratifying is how much we begin to feel for these characters even as the bodies mount. The one major coincidence arrives well into the picture. By that time, we are so invested in the characters and writer-director Anders Thomas Jensen’s ability to keep us guessing that it doesn’t matter. At a cost of $5 million, this Danish indie puts its American counterparts to shame. (2020) — Scott Marks
This movie is not currently in theaters.