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Every once in a while, when you get tired of the same old big-budget Hollywood release, it’s good to take a look at what other countries are producing. If you’re in the mood for a dark and unexpected crime drama, try In Order of Disappearance, a twisted Norwegian film with a familiar star.
In Order of Disappearance (or Kraftidioten in Norwegian) stars Stellan Skarsgård is Nils Dickman, a mild-mannered snow plow driver who was recently named Citizen of the Year for his work in helping the people of his small mountain town survive Norway’s winter storms. When his son dies unexpectedly, the police rule it an accidental overdose. But Nils knows that his son wasn’t an addict—so he sets out to find his son’s killer, only to end up instigating a violent war between an eccentric crime boss and his Serbian rival in the process.
Set in the city streets and snowy mountains of Norway, In Order of Disappearance is everything I love about Norwegian films. It may tell a pretty heavy story about murder and vengeance and organized crime, but it’s also filled with quirks.
On one hand, this may remind you of the typical Liam Neeson action movie—in fact, Neeson is already reportedly attached to the Hollywood remake. It’s a slow-burning thriller, following a man on a deadly-serious mission to find whomever’s responsible for his son’s death. Skarsgård plays the character as lovable and mild-mannered—someone that you’d never suspect of any sort of violence. But even though he’s just an all-around nice guy—he’s Citizen of the Year, after all—the pain of losing his son causes something in him to snap. And that gives the film an element of surprise.
But In Order of Disappearance is more than just surprising; it can also be downright outlandish—in the best of ways. It has a sense of humor that’s sometimes pitch black and sometimes silly. And as Nils sets out to find justice for his son, he ends up caught between an old-school crime boss and his flamboyant foe (whose scenes often involve battles with his ex-wife about things like his son’s consumption of Froot Loops).
Granted, you may need to have a special kind of sense of humor to appreciate the eccentricities of this film. At times, it’s quiet and calculated; at other times, it’s a little bit kooky. But its twists make it smart and entertaining and pleasingly different.
Thanks to its likable star and its uncommon storytelling, In Order of Disappearance has the right mix of suspense, drama, and quirks. If you’re looking for something that’s clever and unexpected and refreshingly un-Hollywood, be sure to brush up on your subtitle-reading skills and give this one a try.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
