Last year was the first time I was able to attend Fantastic Fest in Austin, the premiere film event for genre movie geeks around the world. I was only going to get four days off from work, and as such I was very stingy with my schedule, and upon first glance, Headhunters wasn't going to make the cut. It wasn't until the third day of the festival that the buzz behind this Norwegian import got so loud that I couldn't ignore it and I forced myself out of bed before 11AM to take in an early morning press screening. I walked out of that screening and evangelist for the film, and hopefully my words here will help spread the gospel as well. Headhunters is a big ball of pulpy fun, definitely worth checking out.
Roger Brown is a corporate recruiter, a headhunter, with a beautiful wife, a magnificent home, and all the best things that money can buy. While he is the best at what he does, even the best in his field doesn't make the kind of money that affords the lifestyle that Roger lives. In order to supplement his income, mainly to cater to every whim of the wife who he sees as too good for him, Roger is also an art thief, and a good one. When he learns that a potential candidate for a job is housing a potentially priceless work in his grandmother's old apartment, Roger goes to work, hoping to land the job that will allow him to retire. However, this candidate is more of a challenge than he appears to be and the resulting clusterfuck leads to a forty minute chase that will get your blood pumping and heart pounding.
Headhunters is based on a story by renowned pulp author, Jo Nesbo, whose work is very well respected. Director Morten Tyldum did a brilliant job bringing the story to life and turning it into a wonderfully vicious tense thriller of the sort that is growing more and more scarce by the year. Tyldum knows how to build tension, he knows how to hold his beats just a hair too long, making the audience uncomfortable before releasing them from his tight grasp. What he does with $5 million dollars should rightfully embarrass filmmakers making waste of budgets ten times that size. At no point in this film does it appear that the budget was a constraint; smart, spartan use of locations, props, and scripting make Headhunters a uniquely smart action film that film geeks should love.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the lead actors, a pair who make excellent enemies on screen. Roger Brown is played by Aksel Hennie, a short, tow headed spitfire with attitude to spare and confidence on screen that makes his character's fragility in the face of danger all the more surprising. Opposite Hennie is a more recognizable face these days, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau plays Clas Greve in Headhunters, and was simultaneously performing the role of Jamie Lannister on Game of Thrones while shooting this film. His devastating good looks and average height make him the perfect example of everything Roger Brown is not, and makes his transient conquest over Brown, all the more infuriating.
If Headhunters is a film that passed you by when it made its brief arthouse run a couple of months back, don't get caught flat-footed this time. It's quite a wild ride and a more than worthwhile way to spend 100 minutes. Definitely recommended.
The Disc:
The best thing I can say about Headhunters on Blu-ray is that the disc's quality never distracted he from the film. The image was sharp and bright, and the sound was punchy and the dialogue clear. There were no signs of digital manipulation in any visible way, and I was very pleased with the presentation overall. I did make the mistake of checking out the English dub track on the disc, and it is godawful, don't bother.
The only real extra on this disc is a relatively brief EPK style Making Of featurette. It is a lot of ass kissing with the occasional whining about how tough they had it. I get weary of these EPK's that say nothing of substance, I know that it's expected, but certainly they can come up with something better than this? The disc rounds out with trailers for this and other Magnolia feature films.
In spite of the lazy extras, Headhunters is a solid recommendation from me. It is a ton of fun and has something for everyone, including a surprising amount of heart. It's well worth seeking out.
Roger Brown is a corporate recruiter, a headhunter, with a beautiful wife, a magnificent home, and all the best things that money can buy. While he is the best at what he does, even the best in his field doesn't make the kind of money that affords the lifestyle that Roger lives. In order to supplement his income, mainly to cater to every whim of the wife who he sees as too good for him, Roger is also an art thief, and a good one. When he learns that a potential candidate for a job is housing a potentially priceless work in his grandmother's old apartment, Roger goes to work, hoping to land the job that will allow him to retire. However, this candidate is more of a challenge than he appears to be and the resulting clusterfuck leads to a forty minute chase that will get your blood pumping and heart pounding.
Headhunters is based on a story by renowned pulp author, Jo Nesbo, whose work is very well respected. Director Morten Tyldum did a brilliant job bringing the story to life and turning it into a wonderfully vicious tense thriller of the sort that is growing more and more scarce by the year. Tyldum knows how to build tension, he knows how to hold his beats just a hair too long, making the audience uncomfortable before releasing them from his tight grasp. What he does with $5 million dollars should rightfully embarrass filmmakers making waste of budgets ten times that size. At no point in this film does it appear that the budget was a constraint; smart, spartan use of locations, props, and scripting make Headhunters a uniquely smart action film that film geeks should love.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the lead actors, a pair who make excellent enemies on screen. Roger Brown is played by Aksel Hennie, a short, tow headed spitfire with attitude to spare and confidence on screen that makes his character's fragility in the face of danger all the more surprising. Opposite Hennie is a more recognizable face these days, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau plays Clas Greve in Headhunters, and was simultaneously performing the role of Jamie Lannister on Game of Thrones while shooting this film. His devastating good looks and average height make him the perfect example of everything Roger Brown is not, and makes his transient conquest over Brown, all the more infuriating.
If Headhunters is a film that passed you by when it made its brief arthouse run a couple of months back, don't get caught flat-footed this time. It's quite a wild ride and a more than worthwhile way to spend 100 minutes. Definitely recommended.
The Disc:
The best thing I can say about Headhunters on Blu-ray is that the disc's quality never distracted he from the film. The image was sharp and bright, and the sound was punchy and the dialogue clear. There were no signs of digital manipulation in any visible way, and I was very pleased with the presentation overall. I did make the mistake of checking out the English dub track on the disc, and it is godawful, don't bother.
The only real extra on this disc is a relatively brief EPK style Making Of featurette. It is a lot of ass kissing with the occasional whining about how tough they had it. I get weary of these EPK's that say nothing of substance, I know that it's expected, but certainly they can come up with something better than this? The disc rounds out with trailers for this and other Magnolia feature films.
In spite of the lazy extras, Headhunters is a solid recommendation from me. It is a ton of fun and has something for everyone, including a surprising amount of heart. It's well worth seeking out.