Review of Headhunters (2011) by Stuart W — 05 Apr 2012

The current trend for thrillers from Scandinavia continues with this highly entertaining roller-coaster ride based on the best seller by Jo Nesbo.

Roger Brown is a very unlikeable and insecure man. He works as a headhunter for a company making tracking systems. He is insecure about his height; he was a beautiful, tall blonde wife; he lives in a home he can't afford and so he steals art from clients he puts forward for interviews. His world turns upside down when he is introduced to Class Greve, a former CEO of a huge company, who claims to have a very rare Rubens' in his inherited home. Greed gets the better of Brown and he finds himself running for his life and not understanding why.

The clever thing about this film is that the characters are mostly unpleasant and yet you still stay with them, especially Brown, due to a strong performance from Aksel Hennie. You follow his every move and a desperate man will do desperate things, including hiding in the most disgusting place you can imagine.

The film keeps moving along briskly and then really picks up during the second act, when Brown discovers there is something wrong with the crime he is committing. From that point on, it has some very inventive twists and turns, while never allowing time for the audience to get bored.

The humour is very black and some of the scenes are incredibly brutal (dog lovers might get a tad upset). But it never gets too outlandish to be silly and the finale is surprisingly satisfactory.

If you are a fan of shows like The Killing, then this is going to be right up your alley. It's clever, inventive, shocking and consistantly entertaining. Just expect the Hollywood remake anyway now.

It is subtitled, but don't let that put you off. Its well worth visiting, especially in this time of below-par movies that are currently out there.