It’s been a long weekend of playing ultimate frisbee at a tournament in Brighton, hence why this review is a little delayed but I’ve got the day free now and I’m tucked up under my duvet in my freezing cold student house with nothing to do except watch movies and write reviews. I’ve got a lot of catch up work to do to stay on schedule and should be swiftly following up review number 7 with another 4 or 5. So, enjoy…
22/08/13
26/07/13
Headhunters is fantastic thriller with some great quirky comedic elements, with a distinctly Scandinavian style that I can’t help but love. It is a Norwegian film based on a novel by Jo Nesbo of the same name about a successful headhunter for large companies who chooses to supplement his income, and maintain his lavish lifestyle, by stealing valuable works of art.
Eventually one piece of art comes along that could be worth enough to coast on for the rest of his life and keep his wife with the types of things she’s become accustomed to. Headhunters starts out as an incredibly sleek thriller reminiscent of a great heist movie, along the way it develops in to so much more but continues to be tense and exciting. I’m a huge fan of Scandinavian media in general, particularly the superb detective dramas such as Wallander and The Bridge that air on BBC4. The languages are just so intriguing to listen to.
Back to the point, what really comes across is the very dark yet quirky comedic sensibilities of this film as the headhunter is on the run for his life against a seemingly relentless opponent. The performance by Askel Hennie is great and he’s really able to convey the thin air of superiority masking the insecurities of the character. Fans of Game of Thrones will recognise a certain Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (who plays Jamie Lannister) and he also puts in a solid performance.
The story goes in directions I genuinely couldn’t see coming and it felt like I was reading a good books as I followed the twists and turns, which makes sense considering the source material. The way that several elements tie in together was very impressive and also satisfying.
7.9 out of 10. It’s on Netflix instant streaming (in the UK at least) so definitely sit down and watch this one.
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