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| | | | | | The Orinda International Film Showcase is offering a rarity this month: Headhunters, a fast-paced perfectly mastered thriller with a brilliant scenario that will surprise viewers until its end (and don't count on me to tell you what that will be!) This new Swedish movie leaves Millenium far behind.
Roger Brown (Aksel Hennie) is a successful headhunter who works for a large corporation, has money and is married to a beauty, Diana (Synnove Macody Lund). A bit insecure because of his relatively small size, he feels that she will stay with him as long as he can provide for her, yet at the beginning of the movie, his financial situation starts to dwindle. Brown, who is cynical and manipulative, begins to steal paintings to keep up his lifestyle. When he meets Clas Greve (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), an executive who collects artwork, he thinks he's found the perfect victim.
Director Morten Tyldum builds his story around Brown's and Greve's rivalry. The scenario is extremely well constructed and it does not insult the viewer's intelligence - not so common for a thriller. There are even some very funny moments, like a chase scene on farm tractors. The main character takes a lot of punches, certain scenes keep the spectator riveted, and the storyline is quite unpredictable. The movie also portrays a series of truculent characters such as the accomplice who loves arms and Russian prostitutes, the charismatic bad guy, and the very sexy woman.
A very well-cast and directed action thriller, Tyldum's film will surprise and delight viewers. The movie will show from May 18-24 at the Orinda Theatre. For tickets and show times, visit www.lfef.org or Lamorindatheaters.com.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA