This summer at Scandinavia House, see the critically acclaimed Nordic films that inspired American remakes in the series “The Nordics Do It Better”! You’ve seen the Hollywood version — did you know how good the original was?

A vengeance tale with equal parts Coen Brothers humor and Tarantino-style action, In Order of Disappearance /Kraftidioten (Norway, 2016) stars Stellan Skarsgård as the introverted and hard-working snowplow drive Nils, who has just been named “Citizen of the Year” when he receives news that his son has died of a heroin overdose. Disbelieving the official report, Nils soon uncovers evidence that his son was murdered as a result of a turf war between a buffoonish local mob boss known as “The Count” (Pål Sverre Hagan) and his Serbian rivals.

Armed with heavy machinery and a good dose of beginner’s luck, Nils embarks upon a quest for revenge that soon escalates into full-blown war, with the body count spiraling ever higher among drug traffickers, con artists, and kingpins. A wintry thriller with satisfying intelligence — and more than a few laughs — In Order of Disappearance was remade by Norwegian director Hans Petter Moland in 2019 as the American thriller Cold Pursuit, starring Liam Neeson.