This is an absolutely gripping little thriller that completely destroys anything similar to come out of Hollywood in the last year or so, and the best part of it is that you start watching it with little idea of what's about to unfold. HEADHUNTERS is a Norwegian film, an adaptation of a bestselling book by Jo Nesbo, and it involved me in the thrilling, complex storyline to a level of immersement that I rarely reach in cinema. It's easily as good as other, recent film highlights such as the South Korean film THE YELLOW SEA.
The movie starts out in the corporate world of headhunting, where, as we quickly learn, it's all about reputation. Things soon shift entirely and the film becomes a chase movie. It's at this point I realised I was watching a modern masterpiece; a film in which I was glued to the screen, unable to take my eyes off what would surely unfold.
The film is extremely densely plotted – there's no lazy writing here, every scene (and every word of dialogue in that scene) is relevant to and adds to the plot in some way. The pace is lightning fast and there are few moments to breathe. There's excitement, danger and extreme violence. Even better, the movie revels in its moments of the bizarre, garnering laughs together with the gasps along the way.
Aksel Hennie, an unknown-to-me actor, blew me away with his performance as this movie's hapless protagonist. He takes you on a journey through one man's despair and far beyond, often utilising those startling blue eyes to great effect. Nikolaj Coaster-Waldau trades on his GAME OF THRONES persona (as a character you love to hate) as the suave businessman who comes into Hennie's life and invariably changes it. Add to this some absolutely fantastic direction from Morten Tyldum and you have what I would call a modern day classic.
The movie starts out in the corporate world of headhunting, where, as we quickly learn, it's all about reputation. Things soon shift entirely and the film becomes a chase movie. It's at this point I realised I was watching a modern masterpiece; a film in which I was glued to the screen, unable to take my eyes off what would surely unfold.
The film is extremely densely plotted – there's no lazy writing here, every scene (and every word of dialogue in that scene) is relevant to and adds to the plot in some way. The pace is lightning fast and there are few moments to breathe. There's excitement, danger and extreme violence. Even better, the movie revels in its moments of the bizarre, garnering laughs together with the gasps along the way.
Aksel Hennie, an unknown-to-me actor, blew me away with his performance as this movie's hapless protagonist. He takes you on a journey through one man's despair and far beyond, often utilising those startling blue eyes to great effect. Nikolaj Coaster-Waldau trades on his GAME OF THRONES persona (as a character you love to hate) as the suave businessman who comes into Hennie's life and invariably changes it. Add to this some absolutely fantastic direction from Morten Tyldum and you have what I would call a modern day classic.