We went and saw this film without reading any reviews and guessing we'd like it as it was written by Jo Nesbo who Jo has read one book by and who I keep meaning to read some of. All in all, this meant we had very little preconceptions as to what to expect.
Admittedly, the title does give some of it away as it is a Norwiegan film about a firm of Headhunters in Olso and how they go about recruiting the chief execs they are after. But it's also about art theft and deception and most of all it's about reputation and how do you put a value on that?
If you had stopped the film every 20 minutes to ask me what was going to happen or how it would end I would have been wrong every time you asked. In this case, that's a good thing as this film takes some great twists as we follow the head hunter Roger Brown around. He is played brilliantly by Aksel Hennie. As for the scenes in the shacks in the forest when it goes all Trainspotting on us... oh my god how stomach churning can you get?!
|
The film has an inventive use of torture and pain as it unfolds and we figure out who's screwing who and why and to what end.
While I was drooling over Julie OlGaard's Lotte character I think Jet was drooling over Nikolaj Coster-Waldau's portrayal of Clas Greve who is being head hunted or is he.
When the police finally get involved they are really in the background as the film tells the story as it happens rather than as a procedural and is all the stronger for not being predictable. I don't wish to give anything away other than to say is you like Scandinavian crime stuff then this film is a must.
|
