With a denotative understanding of the idea that revenge is a dish best served cold, Hans Petter Moland’s gelid crime noir “In Order of Disappearance” (2014) opens with a chilling visual of snow-covered mountains and icy roads, a desolate locale where the landscape itself feels as hostile and unforgiving as the path its protagonist, Nils (Stellan Skarsgård), is about to undertake. The wintry setting of Norway serves as much of a character as the ruthless criminals who inhabit it, while also serving as a stark reminder of the isolation and emptiness that accompanies the futile path of revenge.

The film’s first act unfolds with a sense of tragic inevitability. A snowplow driver by trade, Nils leads a peaceful existence in a remote village. But when his wife receives an innocuous phone call, everything falls apart. His son, Erik, has been found dead from what appears to be a drug overdose,...