| Date | |
|---|---|
| Author | DCM |
| Categories | upfrontsFilm FocusFilm NewsFilm Review |
Scandinavian fiction is proving a fertile ground for Hollywood at present, as producers feverishly look for new material to adapt into the next slate of potential hit movies. Hot on the heels of David Fincher’s The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Headhunters (Hodegerjerne to use its Norwegian title) is the latest Scandinavian book to film adaptation that is set for a US remake. Having caught up with the original Norwegian film this week, I’d urge anyone who is contemplating waiting for the US remake not to delay and see this version upon its release on April 6th.
Adapted from the Jo Nesbø book, Aksel Hennie plays Roger Brown, a man short of stature (his opening voiceover explains that he’s 1.68m tall) but big on confidence. He has a beautiful, statuesque wife who he keeps happy with expensive gifts that are priced out of his means as Oslo’s top headhunter. He affords such gifts by stealing and selling on valuable works of art.
What initially starts out as a relatively routine heist film quickly moves into something much more interesting as Hennie is pitched against a formidable adversary in the form of Nikolaj Coster-Waldau’s suave, charismatic (and very tall) Clas Greve. After Hennie scuppers his plan to take over Norway’s foremost technology company, Greve decides to exact his revenge on Hennie and goes to great lengths to ensure he succeeds.
The performances are excellent throughout and Hennie manages the difficult task of getting us to root for a wholly unsympathetic character. The initial enjoyment from seeing him get his comeuppance slowly gives way to genuine sympathy as he’s stripped of his identity and he literally finds himself in the shit.
The humour throughout is pitch black and juxtaposed with moments of shocking violence and brutality - think of the balance of humour and violence in In Bruges and you’ve got the idea. It’ll be interesting to see who they recruit to bring the US remake to life but it’ll be hard pushed to top this version.
[embed width=550]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJqq8AHq5vM[/embed]