Headhunters is a neat little Norwegian thriller about short man syndrome. See-ree-uss. It’s about Roger Brown, a 5’6 corporate headhunter who steals art to fund his lavish lifestyle and keep his Heidi Klum wife in a style to which he thinks she’s accustomed. He’s a complete shit, actually, but he’s also living waaaaay beyond his means, and it’s his increasing arrogance and desperation that causes him to leap at the chance to get his hands on a huge score: a Rubens, allegedly stolen by the Nazis, that’s hidden in an Oslo apartment. Problem is, the apartment owner is a dangerous alpha male CEO, a former special ops Navy Seal type who’s rich and gorgeous and dynamic – and is as attracted to Roger’s wife as she is to him…..
Headhunters is great actually. I just loved the fact it was a Norwegian film, slick, effective, exciting. There’s corporate espionage and gun fights and car smashes – a very spectacular one actually – but throughout it’s the human behaviour that’s the most threatening. Headhunters reminded me obliquely of Trust No One, that French movie based on a Harlan Coben novel – an American movie transmorphed into a different setting, language and culture. (This is going the more normal route; Hollywood’s lined up to remake it – yawn.) For me it was a reminder that it’s possible to look beyond the usual suspects for your viewing entertainment and really not be disappointed.