The best pure action film of 2012 was not made in America. The best pure action film of 2012 hails from Norway, and no matter what language you speak, "Headhunters" translates into an unforgettable thrill ride
13. "Headhunters" - Roger Brown (Aksel Hennie) works for a high-end corporate headhunting firm in Oslo, and although he pulls down a large salary, it’s not enough money for expensive cars and a multimillion dollar home filled with top of the line furnishings.
Feeling the need to impress his drop-dead gorgeous blonde-haired wife, Diana (Synnøve Macody Lund), with a luxuriant lifestyle, Roger, unfortunately, piled up massive debt in the process.
Therefore, he needs to spend more attention on his second secret career.
Roger is a thief, but once he steals from the wrong man, all hell breaks loose in director Morten Tyldum’s provocative premise.
“Headhunters” is one of those insane thrillers that grabs the audience by the scruff of the neck and drags everyone down two dozen flights of stairs.
It’s wild, bloody and violent, and it also constantly surprises.
Roger suddenly finds himself hunted down by a more dangerous criminal mind than him, and this particular person plays for keeps.
Worst of all, once Roger feels a bit safe and hits the brakes for a brief pause, the chase, again, amps up to 120 mph.
Our big-ticket item burglar isn’t having much fun, but you surely get the feeling Tyldum is.
Playing with plenty of dynamic and stylish camera movements, he throws us into Roger’s impossible situations which then leave us speechless.
Not only does the film set up impressive and unique chase scenes, but rightfully stirs up Roger’s - and therefore, our – paranoia.
Who else has turned against him?
How are his enemies tracking him down and cornering him so easily time after time?
His suspicions of nearly everyone actually and regrettably feel right, so Roger is helpless to make calls for help.
Hennie gives a completely believable performance as a flawed man on the run, and he successfully throws his nightmares into our laps for nearly the entire 1 hour 40 minute runtime.
While in the movie theatre, I found myself cursing out Roger for getting “us” into this deadly mess.
Thanks a lot, Roger! This ride wasn’t fun at all.
Well, actually, it really was.
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