In Order of Disappearance – Review

Plow driver Nils (Skarsgård) spends his days and nights clearing snowy ice-ridden streets so that outlier townsfolk can access main city streets and travel to/from work or the store. He enjoys his solemn work and lives a simple life with his wife, while his son works in luggage handling at the airport. Nils’ efforts win him Citizen of the Year in his tiny town; however, this recognition does nothing for the man personally.

After gangsters murder Nils’ son while mistaking him for another target, it sets off a chain of events for a web of involved characters. Nils knows something is off with his son’s “overdose” death, and it doesn’t take long for him to extract info from local hoods. While this story is typical, the presentation and execution are not.

The subtle beats of humor and dark comedy are tonally in balance with their respective plot moments and don’t distract from the story. The actors all do a top-notch job infusing their characters with wild energy or distinct qualities, despite some with limited screen time. The townsfolk and the gangsters both provide fun moments, and the deliberate pace is strengthened by the characters.

It is masterfully shot, making the frozen hills and streets of the fictional Tyos into an amazing backdrop. The cold creeps into almost every frame, and is gorgeous to look at, especially if huddled under blankets on a couch instead of actually being out in it.

For me, this movie works on all levels. It is indeed a calculated revenge drama with some silly characters and very light action here and there all united in dark comedy. Mostly the experience is focused on mood, thought, and subtle tension. There is some very funny humor underlying most all happenings also, but it also wades into dark moral territory. There is plenty of violence, but that is not what the movie focuses on. Definitely worth checking out if you like “Coen-esque” projects.

This move was remade as “Cold Pursuit” in the U.S. starring Liam Neeson, and written/directed by the same crew as this movie.