"The hunt is on" in Headhunters (Hodejegerne). This Norwegian action thriller film, directed by Morten Tyldum, adapted by Lars Gudmestad and Ulf Ryberg, based on the 2008 novel of the same name by Jo Nesbø. The film centres on a successful business headhunter who secretly funds his lavish lifestyle with a sideline in art theft learns that one of his contacts has a valuable painting. He resolves to steal it, not realising the deadly world of trouble he is entering.
In 2009, the Swedish production company Yellow Bird acquired the film rights Nesbø's novel with Gudmestad and Ryberg penning the adaptation. It was the first of Nesbø's novels to be turned into a film. By August 2010, Aksel Hennie, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Synnøve Macody Lund were cast. The character of Claes Greve was Norwegian in the original novel. His nationality was changed to Danish in the film to accommodate the casting of Coster-Waldau. At the same time, with a budget of 30 million NOK, principal photography commenced, and took place throughout Oslo, Norway.
The film stars Hennie, Coster-Waldau and Macody Lund. The cast goes out of their way to insure you never forget their cinematic iteration of the characters. For many the original Swedish take offers the definitive screen versions of the characters, the film offers a faithful translation of the novel.
Its graphic violence and sprawling length will prove too much for some viewers to take, but the cast's gripping performances made Headhunters an unforgettable viewing experience. The film is a compelling thriller to begin with, but it adds the rare quality of having a heroine more fascinating than the story. It's hard to deny the tightening dread that envelops this well-paced thriller. Genre cliches abound, but while his back of tricks may be decidedly old hat, Tyldum keeps the film consistently entertaining throughout. The story has all the makings of a ripping crime thriller. The film is certainly faithful to every detail of the novel's intricate plot, which is fair enough, but does give it the feel of a plodding TV whodunit rather than a cinematic experience. The film's almost constant tight focus on the mystery kept my palms sweating and my mind racing to try to interpret the clues myself. The final result is an adaptation that's just about as successful as its literary predecessor, with the film occasionally exceeding the book in a few areas. So exquisitely crafted and the final result is a good treat for anyone who enjoys the journey of movies. The film is, from the beginning, equally about it's villains and heroes, which is a pleasant change. It's dark and dismal and beautiful and human and everything a crime film should be. Jo Nesbø's fans were waiting to pounce on any missteps. Fortunately, Tyldum has got things right. The film version by Tyldum is a faithful adaptation of the novel...perhaps too faithful to work completely as cinema, but well-produced nonetheless. Overall, the film is an engrossing and classically suspenseful story.
Simon says Headhunters (Hodejegerne) receives:
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