IN ORDER OF DISAPPEARANCE is less a crime thriller and more a quirky comedy in the blackest of moulds. This Norwegian film sees the reliably good Stellan Skarsgard shining in the lead role of a grieving father investigating the murder of his son at the hands of a drugs gang. He begins to take a violent revenge, a revenge which eventually leads to a war between rival criminal organisations in the style of YOJIMBO. This is a chilly outing which is as much about the frost-bitten, snowbound landscapes of northern Norway as it is the cruel monotonous nature of killing. It's well made for sure, with an eye for detail, but it lacks a single speck of warmth to give the story heart. A strong supporting cast features roles for Bruno Ganz and a blink-and-you'll-miss-him Kristofer Hivju.

Possibly movies with subtitles are taken more seriously, even when they have very little to offer. If this movie featured English-speaking characters like Vin Diesel, Liam Neeson or Bruce Willis wiping out bad guys one by one, with little dialogue or nuance, it would have been deservedly panned or ignored. Yet people treat this mindless film like some sort of Indie art-house film. There are one or two minor flourishes, e.g. flashing a cross on the screen whenever a bad guy dies, but the movie is pretty much a straightforward revenge movie that makes Dirty Harry movies seem subtle. It is all too easy for the vengeful father in this film, an ordinary citizen, to find and dispatch career criminals. There is one scene in which bad guys banter about the welfare state, but that's hardly enough to justify comparisons to Quentin Tarantino. On the whole, the script is so simpleminded, you won't even need to read the subtitles to follow the action. I love Scandinavian crime fiction and film generally, but this Norwegian film is a rare exception.

After recently getting hold of the bonkers The Hypnotist on DVD,I started looking round for a new Nordic Noir title to uncover.Reading a great review on the movie from a fellow IMDber recently,I was pleased to spot a non-Marvel (!) Stellan Skarsgård film appear on Netflix Uk,which led to me getting set to see things disappear.The plot:Working in a small Norwegian town, Nils Dickman spends the day going round on his snow plough clearing the roads,Settled into his calm life,Nils is horrified to receive news that his son has died of a suspected heroin overdose. Believing that his son would never do heroin,Nils does his own investigation,and finds out that his sons death was a murder,covered up by two thugs working for an underworld gang. Kicking down doors,Nils tracks the thugs down and pushes them to give him a full list of their gang,before killing them. Completely unaware of Nils,gang leader "The Count" begins to suspect that the disappearance of his thugs is the starting pistol to a gang war.View on the film:Noting down Nils's kill list,director Hans Petter Moland & cinematographer Philip Øgaard give the title a freezing cold Nordic Noir atmosphere,with the metallic reflections of The Count's mansion blinding him from seeing Nils on the attacks,and the "disappearances" Nils commits grazing the mountains of snow. Cutting the Nordic Noir with a comedic bite, Moland drives a peculiar line of dark comedy in the snow,nailed in crosses being put on screen as Nils chucks a new dead body over a cliff,and smooth crane moves mapping out the small town folk charm of Nils surroundings.Making a list and checking it twice,the screenplay by Kim Fupz Aakeson keep the episodic nature of Nils revenge attacks from drying up,by getting Nils to unintentionally kick off a gang war run on Nordic noir loyalty,and cold,dirty "business" money. Along with putting a steak of Noir in The Count's heart, Moland jabs with deliciously quirky black Comedy,from the small town folks being completely clueless about what is taking place around them,to some less than mature puns on Nils second name: Dickman. Peacefully going round clearing the snow, Stellan Skarsgård gives a great performance as Nils,thanks to Skarsgård making Nils fatherly warmth freeze into a burnt-edged Noir assassin,as Nils starts to put the disappearances in order.

Very, very good movie, with excellent plot (some resemblance to Cohen brothers), very funny moments and a pretty nice body count. Cast was also "hand picked" and did a perfect job. So, we have a lot of snow, a crime plot, some absurd a la Monty Python which flawlessly blend in, very funny jokes (also by Norwegians about Norwegians), quite a bunch of killings, excellent direction, music, acting and all other movie aspect and what could anyone wish for more? It is also very original in some artistic approaches (therefore the title of the movie in English) and all in all highly recommended. Go and see that Europe (especially Norway) makes outstanding contributions to the 7th art. Enjoy. :)