That pretty much sums up the lesson learned by Roger Brown (Aksel Hennie), the charmingly amoral protagonist of Headhunters. Brown’s got it all: amazing pad, sweet job, interesting and lucrative side-hobby, a hot wife called Diana (Synnøve Macody Lund)…that is, until he focuses his art thief endeavours on a Mr Clas Greve (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), who would be a perfect target to fleece if he wasn’t a psychotic mercenary tracker and ex-CEO of the company that invented the GPS. Y’know, the global tracking device? Not the likeliest of targets for someone whose life depends on keeping under the radar.
Ludicrous premise aside, Headhunters is an intoxicating Norwegian blend of rollicking action, audacious absurdities, and good ol’ grisly fun. The visuals are spectacular (note to the squeamish: boobs and blood aplenty), the chase scenes imaginatively conceived, and director Morten Tyldum undoubtedly derive perverse pleasure from keeping you at the edge of your seat with his stellar camera work.
The fact that the cast members are pitch-perfect in their roles is just icing on the Monet: Coster-Waldau is a perfect blend of suave and lethal, Lund adds some emotionality to what would have been a straight-up lad flick, and Hennie as the art thief with the Napoleon complex embodies pure charisma.
While there is undoubtedly an element of schadenfreude derived from watching the pint sized Roger get his ego trimmed by increasingly painful and humiliating plights, Headhunters also manages to have enough humanity for us to empathise with its protagonist. The film inexplicably manages to mess with our heads, deliver some high-octane thrills, and get us to root for its sordid protagonist, all at the same time.
Summary: When it comes to heist movies, Headhunters quite literally steals the show.
RATING: 4 out of 5 stars
Raphael Lim