Headhunters

Based on the novel by Jo Nesbo, Headhunters follows slick corporate headhunter Roger Brown (Aksel Hennie) as he augments his primary income by stealing high-profile paintings on the side – with problems ensuing as a potential mark (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau’s Clas Greve) inexplicably launches a full-scale assault against him. It’s a fascinating premise that’s initially employed to watchable yet far-from-engrossing effect by filmmaker Morten Tyldum, as the director essentially offers up a fairly standard crime drama that contains many of the beats and turns in the plot that one might’ve anticipated (eg Roger’s problems with his beautiful wife, Roger’s dealings with an unpredictable cohort, etc). The passable vibe persists right up until around the halfway mark, after which point the movie morphs into something completely unexpected – with the cat-and-mouse pursuit that ensues between Roger and Clas immediately injecting the proceedings with a palpably enthralling feel. Tyldum does a superb job of infusing the movie’s action-oriented moments with a visceral, white-knuckle feel that proves impossible to resist, and it’s worth noting that many of the movie’s more overtly high-octane moments are much, much more exciting than anything cranked out by Hollywood as of late. The inclusion of a few astoundingly tense moments (eg Roger must play dead to evade Clas’ advances) perpetuates the movie’s shift into a seriously engrossing piece of work, and although the climax isn’t quite up to the level of that which preceded it, Headhunters has, by that point, long-since established itself as one of the most exciting, flat-out captivating thrillers to come around in quite some time.

***1/2 out of ****