In Order of Disappearance (Kraftidoten) (2014)

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General		Extras
Category	Thriller/Action/Cmdy	Theatrical Trailer Trailer-Madman Propaganda x 7
Rating
Year Of Production	2014
Running Time	111:48
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Hans Petter Moland
Studio Distributor	Madman Entertainment	Starring	Stellan Skarsgard Pal Sverre Haagan Birgitte Hjort Sorensen Bruno Ganz Anders Baasmo Christiansen
Case	Amaray-Transparent
RPI	?	Music	Brian Batz Kaspar Kaae Kare Vestrheim

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	Norwegian Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	2.35:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

     Nils (Stellan Skarsgard) is an immigrant to Norway and a success story; an ordinary family man and snow plough driver who has integrated well into the community and just received the Citizen of the Year award. But his world comes crashing down when his only son, who works at the small local airport, is found dead from a drug overdose. His wife Gudrun is devastated and his marriage falls apart; Nils is contemplating suicide when he discovers that his son had in fact been murdered by drug dealers who had been using the airport to import cocaine. Nils is determined to take revenge. Using forceful methods Nils works his way up the chain of command of the gang lead by Ole Forsby, called “The Count” (Pal Sverre Haagan), who inherited his father’s “business”. Forsby is ruthless and violent but is also divorced and fighting with his ex-wife Marit (Birgitte Hjort Sorensen) about custody of their young son Rune so when his men start to go missing he quickly puts the blame on the rival Serbian gang led by “Papa” (Bruno Ganz) and decides to teach them a lesson. Papa is surprised but fights back, leading to a gang war. Then when Nils kidnaps Rune the film heads towards a bloody and explosive climax.

     In terms of plot In Order of Disappearance (original title Kraftidoten) is a standard revenge story about an ordinary man who takes on the gangsters who had killed his son made very watchable by a good cast, jet black humour and the specular snowy Norwegian landscapes. Craggy featured Stellan Skarsgard has over 120 credits on the IMDb and he has appeared in Hollywood blockbusters while continuing to perform in Scandinavia in films, such as King of Devil’s Island (2110), the original Insomnia (1997), five films (I think) for auteur Lars von Trier, including Breaking the Waves (1996), and a couple of other films for Hans Petter Moland, the director of In Order of Disappearance, including the not dissimilar in tone A Somewhat Gentle Man (2010), which I reviewed on this site. In In Order of Disappearance Skarsgard is excellent as the controlled, taciturn and stoic model citizen whose world has fallen apart, while Pal Sverre Haagan is both funny and menacing as the brutal, vegan, ecology aware gangster. Bit parts such as Geir (Anders Baasmo Christiansen), the gay gangster putting up with The Count’s whims, and Papa (veteran Bruno Ganz), are well cast and well played.

     In Order of Disappearance also features a delicious strand of wry black humour, such as the American nicknames adopted by the characters, the brutal mobster who gets uptight when his son does not get the proper variety of fruit for lunch, a hired assassin, the “Chinaman”, who points out he is actually from Denmark, or the discussion between two gangsters about the welfare state and the climate. The film is also beautifully shot by cinematographer Philip Ogaard, the widescreen frame making full use of the snow filled Norwegian landscapes.

     Standard plot, but the humour, acting and setting help to make In Order of Disappearance very watchable.

Video

     In Order of Disappearance is presented in the original theatrical ratio of 2.35:1 and is 16x9 enhanced.

     Filmed in a Norwegian winter, the colour palate is primarily grey or grey / white, with lots of wide angle shots of the snow and the snow plough in operation. Interiors also tend to be restrained in colour, modern chic for the Norwegian gangsters, dark and wood panelled for the Serbs. Close up detail is fine, blacks solid, shadow detail good, skin tones natural, brightness and contrast consistent.

     I did not notice any obvious marks or artefacts although there was some shimmer in the end titles.

    English subtitles are available in a yellow font. They are clear and easy to read and I did not notice any spelling or grammatical errors.

     The layer change was not noticeable on my equipment.

Video Ratings Summary

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Audio

     Audio is a Norwegian Dolby Digital 5.1 at 448 Kbps, although there is dialogue in other languages, including Swedish, Serbian and English.

     Dialogue is clear and centred. The surrounds were mostly quiet in the dialogue sections but added ambient sound, such as wind, and music elsewhere, and certainly roared into life during the snow plough scenes and during the final gunfight. The sub-woofer added a deep rumble to the snow plough and supported the gunshots and the music.

     The score credited to Brian Batz, Kaspar Kaae and Kare Vestrheim was effective.

     Lip synchronisation is fine.

Audio Ratings Summary

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Theatrical Trailer (1:57)

Madman Propaganda

     Trailers for God’s Pocket (2:14), Joe (2:05), Life of Crime (1:53), Locke (1:47), The Grand Seduction (2:21), The Infinite Man (2:05) and The Keeper of Lost Causes (2:13).

     There is at present no Region 1 US version of In Order of Disappearance listed. The Region B UK looks to be the same as our release without extras, although I cannot find any reviews to confirm this.

     In Order of Disappearance may not break any new ground, or snow, but it is well made, well-acted, especially by Stellan Skarsgard, Pal Sverre Haagan and veteran Bruno Ganz, it is beautiful to look at and it has a streak of black humour that makes it very entertaining.

     The DVD has good video and audio. The extras are very limited.

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Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall