Headhunters (2012)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"Believe me, Roger. You've never seen anything like this in a film."</i> An accomplished headhunter risks everything to obtain a valuable painting owned by a former mercenary. <center><font size=+2 face="Century… More
  <i>"Believe me, Roger. You've never seen anything like this in a film."</i> An accomplished headhunter risks everything to obtain a valuable painting owned by a former mercenary. <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> With the success of the likes of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Borgen and The Killing in recent years, it was only a matter of time before a Jo Nesbo novel was adapted for the big screen. This film captures the tone and style of Nesbo which will delight his hordes of fans. I wouldn't be surprised to see his Harry Hole series adapted in the near future. The film is a true thriller which had me on the edge of my seat. The first half is mostly a tense heist type of story with the second half being mostly one huge chase with a few rest bites thrown in to give those sweaty palms a break. The story is complex and interesting and made the film feel longer to me that it actually was. This isn't a bad way however and I'd happily have watched for another half an hour. The film and its lead character are very clever and this should excite the audience and leave them thoroughly satisfied. The acting from Hennie is superb. He shows great depth and cunning as well as despair and heartbreak. It's a career performance from him. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, best known as Jamie Lanninster from Game of Thrones to English speaking audiences is also excellent opposite Hennie. The two have a real duel in terms of the action and the acting. Coaster-Waldau is impossibly cool and suits his role to a tee. Every main character is given a fair amount of back story which really helps to give them their identity and drive. Unsurprisingly a Hollywood remake is already in the works but I'd recommend seeing the original as I can't see how having Ryan Reynolds and Kiefer Sutherland or someone similar will improve the film. It's just an excuse for lazy people not to have to read and for Hollywood studios to make money without doing anything original. This film is smart, witty and original and even has a love story at its centre. I can't recommend it highly enough.

• c0up  

  
  'Headhunters'. Changes tone majestically between precision caper, bumbling, dark humour, and love story.

• Walter M

  
  In "Headhunters," Roger Brown(Aksel Hennie) is a corporate recruiter who stands just 1.68 meters tall.(For my fellow Americans, this is about 5'6.") Due to feelings about his height, he overcompensates by marring a blonde goddess named Diana(Synnove Macody Lund)… More
  In "Headhunters," Roger Brown(Aksel Hennie) is a corporate recruiter who stands just 1.68 meters tall.(For my fellow Americans, this is about 5'6.") Due to feelings about his height, he overcompensates by marring a blonde goddess named Diana(Synnove Macody Lund) who is just about to open an art gallery and would like to have children one day. Even then, Roger carries on with Lotte(Julie Olgaard). In order to support his lush lifestyle, he goes far beyond just getting a third mortgage by becoming an art thief, using inside knowledge, with his confederate Ove(Eivind Sander), a security guard, who uses his share of the loot to support Russian prostitution. But that is still not enough for Roger, until Clas Greve(Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) comes to town with a long missing work of art in his possession that is worth millions. Finally, with "Headhunters," we get a Scandinavian thriller that was not written by somebody in desperate need of anti-depressants. Even if I am generalizing, this is still definitely a twisty, sexy, and violent movie without a wasted detail. In short, it confirms something I have always suspected and shows how people can surprise you, with just the right amount of heart. Yes, the movie definitely can be more than highly improbable at times while it may be hard for some people to care about such a self-involved jackass. There is also the question about whether the movie deserves its ending but I'll be happy to look the other way with something as entertaining as this.

• Richard B

  
  Little Big Man Jo Nesbo, the latest Scandinavian thriller writer, lifted the spirit of Fargo and Harlan Coben in his thriller Headhunters, now adapted into this superior Norwegian (!) film version. Roger Brown (where did he get such an English name?) is the small, successful,… More
  Little Big Man Jo Nesbo, the latest Scandinavian thriller writer, lifted the spirit of Fargo and Harlan Coben in his thriller Headhunters, now adapted into this superior Norwegian (!) film version. Roger Brown (where did he get such an English name?) is the small, successful, scheming headhunter who also doubles as an art thief.Brown lives over his head, has his gorgeous wife who towers over him, and a mop of ridiculous 1980's hair - so he's got to be head and shoulders above any other scalper. 'OK then,' as the Coen Brothers might say, but when he takes on the task of stealing from the hottest new prospect in town (who also owns a priceless painting he must steal), Brown's world starts to fall apart. The wonderful Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (of Game of Thrones fame)who plays the prospect, turns out to be a sexy killer. Roger (Aksel Hennie, brilliant) has to run for his life. His whole life falls to pieces - his partner killed, his wife seduced, even his precious hair is sacrificed. Brown battles against his new and altogether superior, antagonist. Surviving the initial onslaught, the little big man plots his revenge and triumphs over his adversary in a hugely entertaining conclusion. The only thing the film lacks is a heart. All of the protagonists are so deeply flawed, it is difficult to like anyone or believe anything. Though it is brilliantly tied up with some true romance, the fact is, when Roger triumphs, he barely changes from the wicked shit shown in the opening reel. Yes, he does give his now happy wife a baby, gets out of the art thief market, but still, goes back to the world of the headhunter with glee. Maybe this is a small price to pay for such a supremely entertaining thriller. Next year, the inferior US re-make awaits. See the original, dark and chilly as it is.

• Eric H

  
  Tyldum puts Hollywood blockbusters to shame with this blisteringly paced Norwegian Hitchcock homage, Nordic by Northwest if you will. Over the years we've had plenty of movie villains with a Napoleon complex but this could be the first instance of a hero who suffers from small… More
  Tyldum puts Hollywood blockbusters to shame with this blisteringly paced Norwegian Hitchcock homage, Nordic by Northwest if you will. Over the years we've had plenty of movie villains with a Napoleon complex but this could be the first instance of a hero who suffers from small man's syndrome. Hennie is excellent as a corporate headhunter obsessed by the fear of his amazonian wife leaving him for a taller man. Convinced that she only sticks around for his money he moonlights as an art thief with the help of security technician Sander. When he learns that his latest client ("Game Of Thrones" star Coster-Waldau) has an incredibly rare painting in his apartment he steals it and sets off a crazy chain of events. Hitchcock has to be the most imitated of directors but it's rare that film-makers really capture the essence of his style. It's largely forgotten how much comedy his movies contained but this film is very much in the spirit of his lighter adventure romps, specifically "To Catch A Thief", "Saboteur" and "North By Northwest". There are several nods to the latter film; the protagonist is named Roger, he lives in a house identical to James Mason's clifftop villa, and there's an echo of the crop-duster scene, this time involving a truck. The three main characters are classic Hitch archetypes, the paranoid man on the run, the ice cool blonde who may or may not be trustworthy, and the suave villain. The final hour is practically an extended chase sequence, directed with the swagger of a Hollywood veteran. There are laughs, there are shocks, there are moments of absolute depravity, and some of the most comical gore since "Evil Dead 2". Every time you think Tyldum is throwing something at you gratuitously it turns out to be integral to the plot. At one point I groaned when a set of overweight twin cops showed up, being the sort of quirkiness that turns me off the Coen brothers, but in the following scene you realise exactly why Tyldum made them so obese and it's a brilliant moment of twisted comedy. It staggers me to think a movie this broad in scope came out of a country of just five million people. I live in Ireland which has a similar population and there is no way we could ever produce something this accomplished. It's rumoured Tyldum is to direct an American remake of this, a shame really as I'm curious to see what else he has up his sleeve.

• John C

  
  This is what suspense thrillers should be like with lots of great plot twists, dirty rotten scoundrels and action sequences not sullied by CGI. Throw in a fabulous blonde and great dialogue and you have a top-notch movie. Those Nords are on to something! (5-29-12)

• Daniel P

  
  Review soon

• ernest e

  
  Childish story with editorial and directional mistakes. I started laughing and took it as a part comedy. It was not really bad but defenitely not a topper either, the stupidity was rather funny.

• Jonny C

  
  Great thriller from Norway. Headhunters is an an elite headhunter who finances his lavish lifestyle by stealing art from his own clients, until he messes with the wrong one. The movie's a very entertaining cat-and-mouse thriller with an intelligent story and thrilling action.… More
  Great thriller from Norway. Headhunters is an an elite headhunter who finances his lavish lifestyle by stealing art from his own clients, until he messes with the wrong one. The movie's a very entertaining cat-and-mouse thriller with an intelligent story and thrilling action. Highly recommended.

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