Rating: 4/5

SCANDINAVIAN thrillers, whether read or watched on TV or film, are all the rage. To a list that already includes Wallander, The Killing and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo can now be added Headhunters – a satisfyingly tortuous, bloody and downright exciting adaptation of the novel by Jo Nesbo.

This isn’t taken from one of his Harry Hole novels but a stand-alone thriller that constantly catches you unawares and veers off in totally different but no less gripping or imaginative direction.

Askel Henie stars as Roger Brown, who makes up what he lacks in height by doubling up as a successful corporate headhunter by day and art thief by night. The latter is necessary to fund his extravagant lifestyle and keep his glamorous wife (Synnove Macody Lund) in the manner to which he’s let her become accustomed.

Matters take a dramatic turn when he and his fellow robber target a painting owned by his latest job-hunting candidate Clas Greve (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) who is rich, handsome – and taller than Roger.

You probably don’t need to be told that the heist doesn’t go exactly as planned. Soon Roger and Clas are engaged in a life-ordeath game of cat and mouse.

Roger, it must be said, suffers most and at one point literally ends up in the s**t when he’s forced to hide – submerge himself actually – in a tank of raw toilet waste.

Already an unnecessary Hollywood remake is in the works, a totally unnecessary exercise because they won’t better this Morten Tyldumdirected movie. At least it will give Hollywood’s shorter actors (they know who they are) to ditch the shoes with lifts and act their height.