What with The Killing and The Bridge on TV and Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in cinemas, it seems that Scandinavian products are the hot property at the moment. This was certainly the tone of what I heard about this film, because it seemed hardly a review could be written for it that didn't mention other things simply because they came from roughly the same part of the world. My reason for mentioning this is because I do feel like the film got a little over-hyped as a result and perhaps others will be coming to it expecting more than they will get. For me I didn't even really know what type of film it was, just that it was supposed to be good.
As a result I was fairly open to whatever it did and didn't have any preconceptions about plot etc, just the hope that it would entertain. Mostly it does – the plot is excessive with plenty of twists and turns as things spiral out of control as the main character tries to understand and rectify the situation he has found himself in. It isn't quite as smart as you have heard and at times it seems badly fragmented, with the events all sort of fitting within the overall narrative but not really working in terms of sitting next to one another. The very tidy conclusion may annoy some but for me there was a certain pleasure to it – especially considering that by this point any idea of logic and realism was long gone! The tone of the film is aiming for a bloody dark comedy like the Cohen brothers are famous for and, although it is a decent stab, it does fall short of this mark because of issues in the telling and it perhaps not infusing the excesses with the humour in a way that makes them easier to buy into.
One area where it doesn't miss the mark though is in Hennie; he is really good here and he sells the tone and content. Speaking of the Cohen's, Hennie frequently reminded me of Steve Buscemi in Fargo which is praise from my point of view. Coaster-Waldau is not quite as good but he is a smooth presence and provides a threat by virtue of this manly presence playing opposite Hennie's, erm, "lesser" frame. Support is decent beyond these two but the film is the two of them – albeit mostly Hennie's.
Overall Headhunters is a good film that is a bloody dark comedy with decent twists in the mould of the Cohen brothers. Unfortunately, because this comparison will be in your head during the film, it does tend to mean you notice that it isn't as good as they would have done and that, while entertaining, it is certainly not as good as you have heard or s good as it could have been. It is rare that I watch a foreign film and want a remake – but in this case I would love to see what the Cohen's or Sam Rami would do with this.
As a result I was fairly open to whatever it did and didn't have any preconceptions about plot etc, just the hope that it would entertain. Mostly it does – the plot is excessive with plenty of twists and turns as things spiral out of control as the main character tries to understand and rectify the situation he has found himself in. It isn't quite as smart as you have heard and at times it seems badly fragmented, with the events all sort of fitting within the overall narrative but not really working in terms of sitting next to one another. The very tidy conclusion may annoy some but for me there was a certain pleasure to it – especially considering that by this point any idea of logic and realism was long gone! The tone of the film is aiming for a bloody dark comedy like the Cohen brothers are famous for and, although it is a decent stab, it does fall short of this mark because of issues in the telling and it perhaps not infusing the excesses with the humour in a way that makes them easier to buy into.
One area where it doesn't miss the mark though is in Hennie; he is really good here and he sells the tone and content. Speaking of the Cohen's, Hennie frequently reminded me of Steve Buscemi in Fargo which is praise from my point of view. Coaster-Waldau is not quite as good but he is a smooth presence and provides a threat by virtue of this manly presence playing opposite Hennie's, erm, "lesser" frame. Support is decent beyond these two but the film is the two of them – albeit mostly Hennie's.
Overall Headhunters is a good film that is a bloody dark comedy with decent twists in the mould of the Cohen brothers. Unfortunately, because this comparison will be in your head during the film, it does tend to mean you notice that it isn't as good as they would have done and that, while entertaining, it is certainly not as good as you have heard or s good as it could have been. It is rare that I watch a foreign film and want a remake – but in this case I would love to see what the Cohen's or Sam Rami would do with this.