Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
Upstanding community leader Nils has just won an award for "Citizen of the Year" when he learns the news that his son has died of a heroin overdose. Suspecting foul play, Nils begins to investigate, and soon finds himself at the center of an escalating underworld gang war between Serbian drug dealers and a sociopathic criminal mastermind known only as “The Count.”
In Order of Disappearance is a stylish Nordic noir dark comedy that leans heavily on the Coen Brothers tradition of absurdist crime escalation. Its greatest strength is its cinematography — the stark, snow-blanketed Norwegian landscapes are beautifully framed and give the film a genuinely distinctive visual identity. Stellan Skarsgård anchors the film with a droll, understated performance, and the ensemble of gangsters is entertainingly quirky, though the acting is solid rather than revelatory. The plot is functional — a satisfying revenge spiral that builds momentum — but it follows fairly predictable Nordic crime thriller beats without much structural surprise. Novelty is modest: while the film executes its dark comedy well and has real personality, it sits comfortably within a well-established genre tradition rather than transcending it. The ending deflates somewhat, resolving the gang war with a wry shrug that fits the tone but lacks genuine punch or memorability.