This is based on a book by the Norwegian writer Jo Nesbo. I read his The Redeemer recently and was surprised how much I enjoyed it. I am not really a fan of crime fiction and I tend to get lost in complex plots but the quality of the writing (or translation!) and the strong characterisation kept me going. And in the end the plot was worked out quite ingeniously.
So I was prepared for an exercise in concentration with Headhunters, the movie and that was just as well. Numerous sub-plots cut across one another until things are at least partially resolved in the end. What I was not prepared for was the black comedy. Terrible things happen to people and you find yourself chortling. I heard someone say on the radio that in that respect it’s a bit like a Coen Brothers movie. Well, maybe not quite as extreme but getting there.
The acting is great, all local Norwegian talent. The great achievement of Aksel Hennie who plays the principle character, Roger Brown, is that he grows from this smart, smug, self-centered scoundrel to a man stripped bare (at one stage literally) of everything he values but in the end finds a way forward with the things that really matter in life.
This is a quality film. I believe Hollywood is showing some interest in a re-make. Mmmmm.
