Headhunters (2011)

Director: Morten Tyldum

Starring: Aksel Hennie, Synnøve Macody Lund, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

An accomplished headhunter risks everything to obtain a valuable painting owned by a former mercenary.

No, this Norwegian film is not about cannibals; it is about Roger Brown, who works as a headhunter. He is married to Diana and he is prepared to give her everything – except kids. In order to sustain his lavish lifestyle, he steals valuable paintings, replaces them with counterfeits, and sell the originals. (Off course, he told his wife he inherited a fortune, which pays for the opulence.)

Ove, who works for a security firm, is Roger’s art theft partner. When Diana opens her art gallery, she introduces Roger to Clas Greve, who designs tracking technology. When she tells Roger he owns a very rare painting worth $100 million, Roger and Ove plans to steal it, but they are about to meet their match in Clas. The plot also thickens when Roger discovers Diana is having an affair with Clas.

Now on the run, things quickly spiral out of control for Roger, with Clas on his trail. The deeper Roger gets into trouble, the more interesting the film gets. This is a nail-biting thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I enjoyed it.

‘Headhunters’ received several award nominations, winning – among others – Best International Film, Best Thriller, Best Production Design, Best Producer, and Best Non-English Language Film. Some of the nominations include Best Actor, Best Director, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Design, and Best Supporting Actor.

In Norwegian.

Would I watch it again? Yes.