Headhunters (With English Subtitles)

4.5 Stars... Excellent cat-and-mouse action thriller from Norway
Headhunters (2011 release from Norway; 100 min.) brings the tale of 5ft7 (not tall enough? just watch the movie!) Roger Brown, who is in the recruiting business (hence the movie's title), but in order to keep up his lavish life style and to continually impress his impossibly beautiful wife Diana, Roger has a side business of sorts: he, with the aide of a side kick, steals valuable art from people's homes, to sell it on the black market. All goes well until at some point Roger meets Dutch business man Clas Greve. Clas has an interesting background and might fit the profile for the CEO position that Roger's headhunting agency is trying to fill. On top of that, Clas' grandmother, who just passed away in Oslo, apparently has some extremely valuable art in her private collection...

The above is the basic premise of the movie, and to give away much more would flat-out ruin your viewing experience. Suffice it to say that not everything is what it seems to be. From the movie's...

Hollywood, DON'T TOUCH THIS ONE
Folks,
Hollywood remakes foreign movies for our convenience of eliminating the subtitle hassle, and out of arrogance. Eh, don't let them touch this one. THEY WILL RUIN IT TO ALL GLORY!!! It is just fine. I did the hard work of: stop, rewind, play, pause, etc. And, it was worth it!! I literally found myself trying to talk to the main character (the seedy guy making his buck) to hold it together and not get killed! This movie was smart, unpredictable at times, and just simplistically beautiful. I had lucked out through my search with this one. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THIS FILM!!! NO USUAL MOVIE CLICHES in this one!!! You will not do the 'yeah, yeah, yeah...'

Hollywood is slipping... There are foreign films out there like this one that are so much more memorable.

Americans, get off the straight a way highway were you zone out. Be a little more active, exert a little more mental energy, and WATCH MOVIES LIKE THIS ONE!!! It will be worth your night!!!

Norwegian Energizer Bunny
This one is a killer-diller! Wow! The person who recommended this one to me deserves a medal. Hodejegerne, an R-rated Norwegian crime thriller (English captions), is exciting, involving, unpredictable and intelligent. It has relatable characters, a wonderful plot and is beautifully acted. We in the audience left the theater happily talking to ourselves.

A skilled art thief hears of a priceless Rubens, stolen during WWII and kept in a private collection all these years. He realizes this could be the deal that puts him and his wife on easy street for the rest of their lives. Thus begins our story.

We see:
* Aksel Hennie ("Age of Heroes") is our pint-sized cat burglar, impeccably groomed, smart as a whip and always trying to improve his theft of high-end art. His day job is to find and interview applicants for new executive positions.
* Synn