Jo Nesbø's Headhunters (2011)

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

Director:

Morten Tyldum

Writers:

Ulf Ryberg (screenplay), Lars Gudmestad (screenplay)

Stars:

Aksel Hennie, Synnøve Macody Lund, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 8 wins & 16 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Aksel Hennie	...	Roger
Synnøve Macody Lund	...	Diana
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau	...	Clas Greve
Eivind Sander	...	Ove Kjikerud
Julie R. Ølgaard	...	Lotte (as Julie Ølgaard)
Kyrre Haugen Sydness	...	Lander
Valentina Alexeeva	...	Natasja
Reidar Sørensen	...	Brede Sperre
Nils Jørgen Kaalstad	...	Stig
Joachim Rafaelsen	...	Brugd
Mats Mogeland	...	Sunded
Gunnar Skramstad Johnsen	...	Monsen 1
Lars Skramstad Johnsen	...	Monsen 2
Signe Tynning	...	TV-vertinne
Nils Gunnar Lie	...	TV-vert

Storyline

Roger is a human resources manager in a large company and has a wonderful home and a beautiful wife, Dian who owns an art gallery. But he lives in greater luxury than he should. In order to continue this, he has a second job; art theft. Diana introduces him to Clas, a former executive for GPS tech company, who wants to work for Pathfinder, whom Roger is recruiting for. In addition to being the perfect candidate for the job at Roger's company, he is the owner of a very valuable painting. Roger seeks the opportunity and immediately begins to plan his greatest hit. But what Clas encounters in his home will put him in a very difficult way to return.

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Plot Keywords:

male star appears nude | killing a dog | painting | norway | art thief | 

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Taglines:

From the bestselling author of 'The Snowman'

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for bloody violence including some grisly images, strong sexual content and nudity

Did You Know?

Trivia

Summit Entertainment bought the rights to produce an American remake of this film, even before its initial release.

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Goofs

When Roger Brown returns to Oslo after the car crash he is seen calling from a pay phone in Grønland Bussterminal, in the next shot he is seen walking over a bridge towards the bus station.

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Quotes

[First lines]
Roger: Rule #1: Make sure you know everything about those you visit. 2: Never spend more than 10 minutes. Every extra minute increases the chance of someone returning home unexpectedly. 3: Do not leave DNA traces. 4: Don't waste time getting an expensive reproduction. Even a simple forgery will go unnoticed for weeks. 5: Sooner or later, one of two things will happen. You find a work of art so valuable that you never need to worry again, or... you'll get caught.

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Connections

Features The Girl Who Played with Fire (2009)

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Soundtracks

Weathervane
Performed by Weathervane (Jimmy Gnecco & Pål Waaktaar)
Lyrics by Pål Waaktaar

User Reviews

Absolutely Gripping

Headhunters, based on Jo Nesbo's novel of the same, lived up to all my expectations - even though I am not very keen on thrillers in general. It all started out fairly interesting, although I quickly started to dislike the main character, Roger Brown. His snobbish, very self-confident attitude just put me off. However, to support his lavish lifestyle, he steals art to afford everything for his beloved wife and it all ends in a captivating battle of survival. Soon, he is chased by his rival, Clas Greve, and it seems to be an absolutely hopeless escape as Greve is always just a few steps behind. First, I attended the movie with close attention. But in the end, I didn't even dare to breath properly. A highly-recommended, although too bloody, high-quality thriller for everybody!

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

Norway Sweden Denmark Germany

Language:

Norwegian Danish Russian English

Release Date:

26 August 2011 (Norway)

Also Known As:

Jo Nesbø's Headhunters

Filming Locations:

Skøyen, Oslo, Norway

Box Office

Budget:

NOK30,300,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$43,013, 29 April 2012

Gross USA:

$1,200,010

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$18,962,444

Company Credits

Production Co:

Yellow Bird, Friland, Nordisk Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39:1