In Order Of Disappearance

In Order of Disappearance (Kraftidioten) (2014)

Runtime: 116 minutes

Directed by: Hans Petter Moland

Starring: Stellan Skarsgard, Bruno Ganz, Pal Sverre Valheim Hagen, Birgitte Hjort Sorensen, Kristofer Hivju

From: Many production companies, at least judging by the opening of the film

I finally saw this Norwegian/Swedish/Danish movie last night. Of course in the future it will be getting an American remake, which I will naturally presume won't be as good as the original, as Hollywood will screw it up. Read below to see why I did enjoy this film a lot:

WELCOME TO TYOS

This is a film I have heard of for awhile now, and most of the word about it was pretty good. The recent news that the director of this will remake it as a Hollywood film starring Liam Neeson inspired me to finally check this out. I'll presume that because it's Hollywood, Hard Powder (at least for now the new title the remake will have) won't be as good, which will be a shame as Neeson in the starring role that Stellan Skarsgard had here should be pretty awesome, and it'd be as much fun to see Liam raise some hell like Stellan did here. Heck, Taken was a definite inspiration for this movie so it's fitting.

The plot: Skarsgard-as Nils-drives a snow plow truck-his name might as well be Mr. Plow-in rural Norway, which I presume receives a lot of snow throughout the year. His young adult son is killed in what looks like an overdose, but we see he was actually murdered by some gangsters. Nils goes nuts and tries to track down those responsible... only things get complicated as the movie features everything from Serbian gangsters and a young criminal with a lot of power who is a vegan and is driven around in a Fisker Karma (as he's a “hip” and “green” sort of person) to implied mail order brides and

I will admit the movie's pitch-black humor won't be for everyone. But I thought this was wildly entertaining with its twists and turns it took and the times it defied expectations. I will be a cynic and presume that such things as the vegan aspect or various quirks the movie offers up will either not be present or they'll be fouled up. Anyhow, the cinematography is real good and the snowy landscapes of Norway are brought to life very well as they are the backdrop to a movie that has various twists and turns and surprising moments involving supporting characters I dare not reveal; I'll just say that Nils and his family have quite the unfortunate surname.

While the few female characters you see aren't always portrayed in the most positive light, otherwise I have little complaints with this motion picture. If it at all sounds interesting to you, I highly recommend you see this before the destined to be inferior remake comes out sometime in the next few years.