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Timeline

In Order of Disappearance (2016) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
2016 · 116 min · Norwegian
JustWatch #7,791 4
Directed by
Hans Petter Moland
Starring
Jakob Oftebro, Bruno Ganz

Following the death of his son, a withdrawn snowplow driver named Nils begins to suspect foul play and investigates the circumstances surrounding the tragedy. His search leads him to uncover a dangerous connection between a powerful crime boss known as "The Count" and Serbian mobsters. Driven by grief and a desire for answers, Nils embarks on a path of vengeance, using his skills and machinery to confront those responsible, unintentionally sparking a violent and chaotic gang war with devastating consequences.

On this page (6)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Events in order (15)
  3. 3 Timeline questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Movies like In Order of Disappearance
  6. 6 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch In Order of Disappearance (2016)

Where can you watch In Order of Disappearance? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on fuboTV, Philo and Hoopla: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

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15 events in order · contains spoilers

In Order of Disappearance Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of In Order of Disappearance (2016) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Nils Becomes Citizen of the Year

    Nils Dickman, a dedicated snow plow driver in Tyos, Norway, is honored as the Citizen of the Year for his contributions to the community. This recognition reflects his commitment to helping others and showcases the esteem in which the townspeople hold him.

    Where
    Tyos, Norway
  2. Tragic Death of Ingvar

    Nils's life takes a tragic turn when his son, Ingvar, is found dead from a heroin overdose. This shocking news devastates Nils, who cannot believe his son was involved with drugs and begins to suspect foul play.

  3. Police Investigation Lacks Depth

    Despite the circumstances surrounding Ingvar's death, the police show indifference, leading Nils to feel increasingly frustrated and angered by their negligence. He struggles with the unbearable grief of losing his son, feeling that the justice system has let them down.

  4. Finn Reveals the Truth

    Just when Nils contemplates taking his own life amidst the pain, he learns from Finn, Ingvar’s friend, that his son was a victim, mistakenly killed by drug dealers. This revelation ignites a fierce desire for vengeance within Nils, pushing him to seek justice.

  5. Nils Confronts Jappe

    Nils tracking down Jappe, one of the murderers, leads to a tense confrontation. In this encounter, he manages to extract information about another accomplice, Ronaldo, before taking deadly action against Jappe.

  6. Elimination of Ronaldo

    Following the lead from Jappe, Nils finds Ronaldo. Determined to cut the gang's connection to his son’s death, Nils executes Ronaldo, solidifying his path of vengeance.

  7. Strike's Fate

    Nils tracks down the drug carrier, Strike, who becomes yet another target on Nils’s list. After eliminating Strike, Nils meticulously conceals the bodies of the criminals and disposes of a significant amount of cocaine, ensuring there are no loose ends.

  8. Seeking Help from Egil

    In his quest for revenge, Nils turns to his brother Egil, a reformed criminal who now leads an honest life. Egil suggests that Nils needs to hire a hitman to confront the powerful crime boss known as Greven.

  9. Hiring the Hitman Kineseren

    Nils takes Egil’s advice and hires Kineseren, a skilled Danish-Japanese hitman. This decision spirals Nils deeper into the world of crime, setting off a chain reaction that will lead to chaos and bloodshed.

  10. Greven's Revenge

    In response to the attacks on his men, Greven reacts violently by kidnapping a member of a rival gang to extract information. His ruthlessness reveals the dangers of the criminal underworld as he executes the abducted man when he refuses to talk.

  11. Greven's Fatal Mistake

    Unbeknownst to Greven, the man he kills is the son of Papa, the Serbian mafia’s ruthless leader. This act sets off a power struggle and retaliation within the criminal factions, intensifying the unfolding chaos.

  12. Confrontation between Kineseren and Greven

    Kineseren confronts Greven, stating he was hired by a man named Dickman. Mistaking this for a reference to Egil, Greven seeks answers, resulting in a tense encounter that highlights the intertwined fates of the characters.

  13. Egil's Sacrifice

    Understanding the deadly forces at play, Egil makes a profound sacrifice to protect Nils from Greven’s impending vengeance. His selflessness echoes throughout the grim landscape of their shared history and familial bond.

  14. Climactic Gunfight

    A climactic showdown erupts at Nils's workplace as the vendetta reaches its peak. In this brutal confrontation, all except for Nils and Papa end up dead, marking a devastating chapter of loss and retribution.

  15. Alliance of Vengeance

    In the aftermath of the bloodshed, Nils forges an uneasy alliance with Papa, united by their losses and thirst for vengeance. Together, they drive away into the night, bound by their shared quest to avenge their sons.

Last updated: November 15, 2024 at 18:48

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Timeline questions answered

In Order of Disappearance Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of In Order of Disappearance (2016): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why was Nils's son killed?

Ingvar was mistakenly killed by drug dealers who were actually targeting Finn, Ingvar's friend. The dealers mistook Ingvar for Finn during a drug deal, leading to his death from a heroin overdose.

Foreshadowing: Early scenes establish Finn as Ingvar's friend who frequented the same circles, making the mistaken identity plausible.

  • ingvar
  • finn
  • drug dealers
  • mistaken identity
  • overdose
Q2

How did Nils trigger a gang war?

After Nils killed three of Greven's men and stole 15 kilos of cocaine, Greven assumed a rival Serbian mafia family was responsible. When Greven killed what he thought was a random gang member, he actually murdered Papa's son, sparking all-out war between the crime families.

Foreshadowing: Greven's paranoia and willingness to use extreme violence is established early when he interrogates and kills the kidnapped Serbian.

  • greven
  • papa
  • serbian mafia
  • gang war
  • cocaine
Q3

Why did Greven kill Papa's son?

Greven kidnapped a Serbian gangster to find out who was attacking his operations. When the man refused to talk, Greven executed him, not realizing he had just killed Papa's only son. This was purely accidental but triggered the final escalation.

Foreshadowing: The film establishes Papa as a powerful Serbian mafia leader whose family is off-limits, making this kill especially consequential.

  • greven
  • papa
  • serbian mafia
  • son
  • kidnapping
Q4

Why did Egil sacrifice himself?

When Kineseren revealed he was hired by a man named Dickman, Greven assumed Egil was responsible. To protect Nils from Greven's vengeance, Egil allowed Greven to kill him rather than reveal his brother's identity.

Foreshadowing: Egil's earlier advice to hire a hitman and his knowledge of the criminal underworld sets up his understanding of the deadly consequences.

  • egil
  • greven
  • sacrifice
  • nils
  • hitman
Q5

Why does Nils team up with Papa at the end?

Both Nils and Papa lost their sons due to Greven's actions - Nils's son was killed by Greven's gang, and Papa's son was killed directly by Greven. United by grief and a shared desire for revenge against the same enemy, they form an alliance to finish what they started.

Foreshadowing: The parallel between Nils's loss and Papa's loss is drawn throughout the film, culminating in the final scene where both fathers are the sole survivors.

  • nils
  • papa
  • alliance
  • revenge
  • sons
Q6

What happened to the 15 kilos of cocaine?

After killing the drug carrier Strike, Nils disposed of the 15 kilos of cocaine. This act made Greven believe his operation was being deliberately targeted, contributing to his mistaken belief that the Serbian mafia was behind the attacks.

Foreshadowing: Strike's role as a drug carrier is established before Nils confronts him, making the cocaine seizure a logical plot point.

  • cocaine
  • strike
  • greven
  • drugs
Q7

Who was Kineseren?

Kineseren was a Danish-Japanese hitman hired by Nils to eliminate Greven. His intervention accidentally revealed Nils's involvement to Greven when he demanded payment, triggering the chain of events that led to Egil's sacrifice.

Foreshadowing: Egil's suggestion to hire a professional hitman sets up Kineseren's entry into the story.

  • kineseren
  • hitman
  • egil
  • hired killer
Q8

Why did Greven suspect the Serbian mafia?

Greven suspected the Serbian mafia because Nils had killed several of his men and stolen a large amount of cocaine. Since Greven had ongoing conflicts with the Serbian faction led by Papa, he assumed they were behind the coordinated attacks on his operation.

Foreshadowing: The rivalry between Greven's organization and the Serbian mafia is established through early references to their conflicts.

  • greven
  • serbian mafia
  • rival
  • suspicion

Movie threads

More Movies Like In Order of Disappearance, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes In Order of Disappearance tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Vigilante revenge movies that spark chaos like In Order of Disappearance

When a single act of revenge ignites a bloody and chaotic chain reaction. If you liked the snowballing gang war in In Order of Disappearance, explore these movies about vengeance spiraling out of control. These similar action thrillers feature lone protagonists whose personal quests for justice unintentionally ignite devastating and wide-reaching conflicts.

  • vengeful
  • chaotic
  • tense
  • grim
  • unrelenting
  • methodical
  • Tone: dark, bleak, tense
  • Pacing: steady build to chaotic
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Stories in this thread typically follow a protagonist, often an ordinary person pushed to the edge by a personal tragedy, who takes matters into their own hands. Their targeted act of retaliation, however, misinterprets a complex situation or triggers a powerful response from a criminal organization, escalating into a full-blown war with catastrophic consequences for everyone involved.

Why they belong together: These films are grouped by their shared narrative engine: the theme of misunderstood revenge. They feature a steady, methodical pacing that builds to chaotic violence, a dark and bleak tone, and a heavy emotional weight centered on loss. The experience is defined by the tension between a personal mission and the uncontrollable chaos it unleashes.

Grim and gritty crime thrillers with a cold tone like In Order of Disappearance

Cold, methodical stories set against bleak landscapes where crime and grief collide. Fans of the cold, vengeful atmosphere of In Order of Disappearance will find more movies like it here. These similar thrillers share a dark tone, heavy emotional weight, and bleak endings, often set in stark landscapes that mirror the characters' internal desolation and the brutal reality of the criminal world.

  • grim
  • cold
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • brutal
  • unrelenting
  • Tone: dark, bleak, melancholic
  • Pacing: steady, methodical
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Narratives in this thread are typically straightforward or moderately complex, focusing on a descent into a criminal underworld driven by a personal motivator like loss or betrayal. The setting often acts as a character itself, reflecting the internal coldness and isolation of the protagonist. The journey is steady and tense, leading to conclusions that offer little catharsis, emphasizing the harsh and cyclical nature of violence.

Why they belong together: Movies are grouped here based on their cohesive, oppressive vibe. They share a high-intensity, dark tone, steady pacing, and a heavy emotional core. The combination of a cold aesthetic, grim mood, and themes of criminal brutality and personal trauma creates a specific, immersive experience for viewers seeking uncompromisingly stark thrillers.

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Every angle

In Order of Disappearance (2016) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

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