It would be easy to derive cheap laughs from some of the deranged goings-on (particularly in one memorable scene involving a dog, a tractor, and a sea of excrement) but Tyldum retains a genuine sense of realism throughout, and in spite of the fact that the plot becomes somewhat contrived late-on, he reins it in for a gripping and utterly surprising conclusion.
Credit should also go to director Morten Tyldum, who helms proceedings with a dynamic energy that perfectly complements Nesbo's words. Author Nesbo is a master of the macabre, and his beloved book is brilliantly brought to life by Lars Gudmestead and Ulf Ryberg's smart and economical script. Hennie is aided by the fact that the script is sharpness personified, with nary a word nor action going to waste. But Headhunters is the kind of film where redemption is hard to come by, with pain, suffering and failure a more likely outcome. Hennie truly commits to the part, kicking off proceedings confident and cocksure, then slowly but surely peeling away Brown's layers so that by the end of the film he's a shell of a man physically and mentally shot and primed and ready for redemption. But thanks to a fantastic performance from the film's star, you actually start rooting for the bastard. What follows is an utterly unpredictable journey into the dark and surreal, as Brown risks his marriage, his job, and his life for one final score that would solve his financial problems for good.Īnd this is where Headhunters really becomes clever, because up until this point, Brown has been the villain of the piece. The only trouble is, Greve is too-good-to-be-true, and there's much more to the score than meets the eye. Roger has been spending beyond his means, however, so when the opportunity arises to steal from the too-good-to-be true Clas Greve (Game of Throne's Nikolaj Cster-Waldau) he jumps at the chance. Brown does this by recruiting the rich through his job, then relieving them of expensive artwork to sell on the black market, thereby enabling him to buy expensive gifts for his beautiful, statuesque wife (the excellent Synnove Macody Lund). Brown is not without self-awareness, however, and during the film's introductory voiceover, he explains that he compensates for his lack of height (Roger is 1.68m tall) by stealing. Based on the bestselling book by Jo Nesbo, Headhunters is a spectacular cinematic thrill-ride packed to the rafters with twists and turns - a violent, hilarious, shocking and insane Norweigan thriller the likes of which Hollywood hasn't produced in years.Īksel Hennie plays Roger Brown, a clever, cocky headhunter who sees himself as master of his own universe.
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