In Order of Disappearance
You really can't beat a dark comedy, a genre that can be as ridiculous as it can be laugh out loud funny.
In Order of Disappearance is set to hit the big screen with Stellan Skarsgard leading the cast and Hans Petter Moland in the director's chair.
We take a look at some of the best dark comedies that have graced the big screen and entertained us over the years.
- Heathers (1988): This cult classic has gone down in cinema history for the dark and devious methods that a pair of young lovers apply to combat the social politics of high school.
When Veronica (Winona Ryder) starts dating new boy at school JD (Christian Slater), she realises how much she hates her manipulative friends and jokes about ways to rebalance the student body - but JD is deadly serious.
Heathers is a dark and cynical movie that is as smart as it is laugh out loud funny.
Over twenty years later, Heather remains one of the best teen comedies, and is still one of my personal favourites. It is an absolute must-see.
- Fargo (1996): A Coen Brothers masterpiece, Fargo sees hapless husband Jerry (William H. Macy) plot his wife’s kidnap to relieve him of his financial problems.
However, his hired henchmen’s bungling and his own ineptness to cause the plan to fall apart around him in ever increasingly gruesome ways. A true comedy of errors.
The Coen brothers are famed for delivering quirky and original movies, and that is exactly what Fargo is - is remains one of the directing duo's best movies.
Fargo is the type of dark comedy that you can visit again and again and the humour never fades. Throw in a terrific central performance from Frances McDormand, and you really do have a great movie.
- Fight Club (1999): Fight Club remains one of the most controversial and talked about films ever created, with its dark comedy and hidden themes still relevant today.
Disenchanted with the mediocrity of modern life, an office worker (Edward Norton) suffering from insomnia meets Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) and together they set up an ‘underground’ club as a visceral form of therapy that soon catches on.
Fight Club will be celebrating its 15th anniversary in November and it is a film that remains as inventive and as controversial now as it did back in 1999.
What is so great about this movie, is that director David Fincher keeps the audience unsettling and on the edge of their seat from start to finish... not to mention Fight Club has one of the best movie twists.
This is a dark and violent film, but it really does remain bloody brilliant.
- Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005): Often considered the most underrated film that year, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang has a sharp, dark comedy now well associated with star Robert Downey Jr.
When a common thief (Downey Jr.) poses as an actor to escape the police, he is sent to Los Angeles and becomes embroiled in a murder mystery involving his high school crush (Michelle Monaghan) and a detective (Val Kilmer) training him for his upcoming role.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang may not be one of Downey Jr's most well known films, but it really does remain one of my favourites.
This was the feature film directorial debut for Shane Black - who had penned screenplays such as Lethal Weapon & The Long Kiss Goodnight - and he delivers a film that nods back to the noir thriller as well as being incredibly funny.
This is one of those movies where you really can just kick back and enjoy the ride, as it really is a lot of fun. Downey Jr is at his sarcastic best and he and Kilmer do make a terrific team.
- In Bruges (2008): When Ray (Colin Farrell) botches his first hit, he is sent to Bruges to lay low by gangster boss Harry (Ralph Fiennes) and struggles to embrace the tourist lifestyle necessary for him to blend in.
Like most dark comedies, in Bruges became an underground hit through word of mouth, whilst re-establishing Colin Farrell as a convincing comedic actor.
Martin McDonagh made his directorial debut with In Bruges as well as penning the screenplay for the film. It is a cracking screenplay as it is witty and clever with some of the best dialogue that the talented cast were able to play with and bring to life.
Farrell and Gleeson make an unusual comedy duo, but the pair of them really excel in the central roles of hitmen Ray and Ken. Together, they create a funny and very touching relationship.
- Four Lions (2010): When four friends decide to move their abstract dreams of glory into reality, they plan an attack on the unsuspecting public.
Four Lions hit nerves when it was released due its farcical take on terrorism, but bubbling underneath the comedy is an important look at Muslim communities, which will keep you talking way after the credits have rolled.
When you read about what Four Lions is about, it could seem like a film that is tasteless and misjudged humour. However, Four Lions is a smart and provocative film from director Christopher Morris.
It is a movie that dares to poke fun at the terrorists that we all fear, and it really is very very funny.
- The Guard (2011): In the guard, an unorthodox Irish policeman (Brendan Gleeson) with a confrontational personality is partnered with an up-tight F.B.I. agent (Don Cheadle) to investigate an international drug-smuggling ring.
By revolutionizing the buddy-cop format of stereotypical crime films, The Guard has become the most successful Irish film of all time.
We have already looked at one Brendan Gleeson movie, and now we look at the second with The Guard: which was directed by John Michael McDonagh and saw Gleeson team up with Don Cheadle.
And it is Gleeson who really shines in this movie as Gerry Boyle: a man who is as heroic as he is totally ridiculous.
It is this enigmatic character that really will hold your attention. The Guard is a cynical, nasty, dark, and funny movie... but boy is it a treat.
- In Order of Disappearance (2014): Already compared to 'Fargo,' In Order Of Disappearance adds the unique brand of Scandinavian humour to the mix in a thrilling story of revenge.
After his son is murdered for something he didn’t do, Nils (Stellan Skarsgard) seeks justice by tracking down the group of gangsters responsible one by one before inadvertently starting a war between two rival mobs.
In Order of Disappearance is released 12th September.