“Pure joy” - Time Out London ****
Award-winning Scandinavian thriller writer Jo Nesbø has resisted film adaptations of his work until now, but this satisfyingly suspenseful and handsome film version of his best-selling Headhunters should do much to allay any nervousness he might have felt.
A glossy but gritty and very modern story, it centres on Roger, Norway’s most successful headhunter. Married to a beautiful and stylish wife and the owner of a stunning home, he seems to have it all. But Roger is anxiously living beyond his means, and running art scams on the side to keep himself solvent. When his wife introduces him to the handsome and urbane Clas Greve, this seems fortuitous indeed, for Greve is not only the perfect candidate for a job Roger is recruiting for, he also owns a very valuable painting. Roger sees a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but needless to say, things don’t go quite according to plan...
Director Morten Tyldum contrasts a cool aesthetic with pacy plot twists, bursts of stomach-churning viscerality and the odd dash of mordant humour, making for an irresistible combination, and an assured and intelligent rollercoaster of a movie. - Sandra Hebron, BFI London Film Festival
