Headhunters

In recent years there's been a plethora of films and TV Series based on "Scandi crime", a genre that covers Scandinavian crime fiction. Norwegian author Jo Nesbo is the latest writer to see one of his works hit the big screen and it continues the trend of enjoyable output from our friends on the Arctic Circle, though it stretches credibility to breaking point on a few occasions. The film stars Aksel Hennie (best known to audiences for Max Manus) as Roger Brown an employment headhunter who also happens to have a sideline in art theft in order to pay for his lavish lifestyle. Things are looking rosy until he meets ex-soldier Clas Greve (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), who Brown discovers has a valuable painting in his house. Brown decides to steal this as well, but things suddenly turn very twisty indeed. What makes this film stand out from the average thriller is that, whilst the main story appears to be a tale of crime and passion, it also doubles up as a decent character study of Brown as his Napoleon complex gives way to reveal a man realising that wealth and prized possessions don't amount to much when the chips are down. Hennie himself is also interesting to watch as his lack of height and somewhat fey mannerisms and looks means sometimes it's tough to believe he's a killer businessman and womaniser. In addition, the character of Brown isn't actually all that likeable, but Hennie plays him with a touch of vulnerability meaning he will crucially capture the sympathy of some of the audience. Director Morten Tyldum was marked out as one to watch over ten years ago, but has never really broken into the mainstream. I'm not too sure whether this will finally get him more exposure as his direction is solid rather than spectacular and the film never really has an overall cinematic feel to it. However, Tyldum does deliver when it matters, particularly in the film's stand out sequence when Brown finds himself in a (literally) tight squeeze between two police officers as a HGV careers towards them. So more fun and games from the Nords and if you can avoid worrying about the somewhat coincidence laden plot, this will give you a few thrills.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
The latest fun thriller from Scandinavia delivers the usual goods. Also, best see it now before the inevitable lesser Hollywood remake. Final Rating: 7/10.