Headhunters

The difference between what I expected and what I got is too huge. Headhunters is a sort of brutal Nordic pulp, properly cold, chilling, and balanced with a reasonable amount of irony and detachment. The chilling moments don't quite measure up to the best of Fincher, the screenwriting twist where "it all goes pear-shaped" is a worthy match for the Coens, and the proper butchery makes one think of earlier equally proper old-school American pieces. With all the charming melancholy of Scandinavia and a not entirely predictable conclusion, Headhunters can comfortably endeavor for foreign film status for 2011. I would sincerely wish them that, although I "honestly" doubt they’ll even get a nomination. I'd love to be wrong, because the inventiveness in this is truly immense. (01/09/2012)

When you’re only five and a half feet tall, you have to somehow compensate. Roger Brown is a small man who wants to live large and with a tall blonde. While he has to look up to his wife, his mistress looks up to him, but that’s not enough to bolster his ego or, mainly, to build up his bank account. So he makes money on the side. Perfect crimes that leave him unscathed and during the commission of which he leaves no trace of evidence at the crime scenes. Nevertheless, to defend his dubious position as a MAN, he will have no choice but to bathe in the shit (and blood) that he has managed to avoid so far. To walk through the wilderness, throw off the mask of civilisation and undergo the transformation from hunted to hunter. The core of Headhunters is a psychological drama about the crisis of male identity, but that core was rolled up in a thriller and sprinkled with black comedy, with the added bonus that it’s never clear in advance whether the next scene will raise a smile or turn your stomach. The film’s unpredictability (in its handling of genre conventions and the protagonist) is nicely complemented by its uncompromising nature (well, the excessive violence is…simply just excessive) and exaggeration, which, however, is not acknowledged as conspicuously as some situations would require. Sometimes what you expect to happen is funnier than what actually happens. At any rate, there isn’t much time to think about it, thanks to the momentum that Tyldum imparted to the film, during which we don’t lose track of the changes not only on Roger's body, but also inside his head. It’s possible that Nordic genre cinema really is that much better than what Hollywood produces in terms of quality. Appendix: Aksel Hennie is reminiscent of Buscemi and the film itself is reminiscent of Fargo and other movies by the Joel and Ethan Coen (that is, if you wanted to categorise it, but that’s not really possible in this case). 75% (11/11/2011)

Whatever you're expecting… It won’t happen. A genre chameleon about a stunted Walken which proves that Joe Nesbø works well on the film screen despite the plotholes (the age of the corpse one can forgive with half-closed eyes, let's say, but the hospital staff or the one who finds Roger - is it possible that no one would get in touch or ask them after the case was publicized?). (02/11/2012)

It’s been long since two dead fat people were so funny… A perfect Nordic thriller, and, against expectations, it’s not serious or depressing, but a brisk and entertaining film that knows how to make you feel tension, surprise and fun. PS: Plus points for giving a certain animal species the end it deserved (#cantavoidphobia). (11/10/2011)

I admit that my concentration was not at the level that such a renowned Nordic film deserved (when I get a text message from my dream girl, perhaps only Stanley Kubrick has better chances...), but I can defend my three stars. I didn't like the way the story was conceived and constructed, how the director forced me to explore and enjoy the mostly physical suffering of the main character, for whom he could generate almost no sympathy at the beginning. Moreover, the plot scheme seems unnecessarily complex, contrasting sharply with the straightforward, atmospheric and suggestively violent second half, which, on the other hand, is exactly what I was looking forward to and what even Americans are not so skilled at – an entertaining, formally chilling and at times almost black-humoured whirlwind of playful and, above all, functional script tricks and naturalistic imagery, whose only weakness remains its sheer coldness and emotional detachment. It's like watching a beautiful football match, filled with goals and great action in the second half, but between Tanzania and Zimbabwe – I'll be satisfied, but I won't care how it ends :-D 65% (10/14/2015)