3 Thoughts on Headhunters

1.  It's better than the inevitable Hollywood remake (probably) - Sadly, the remake talks have already begun.  Is it really that hard for people to watch a film with subtitles?  I find it funny because when I watch a movie at home, I put the English subtitles on (for all movies) because it is actually easier for me to understand and absorb information through reading.  I know that is odd, but it works for me.  Anyway, if past examples are any indication (Let the Right One in), a remake is unnecessary, especially if the rumored casting of Mark Wahlberg is true.  That's just preposterous. 

2. It's extremely clever - Are there plot holes?  Probably.  Do I care?  Not in the least.  I'm sure that there are people who feel the need to dissect every inch to prove that they are in fact smarter than the movie, but I just don't find that necessary.  I just enjoy that it is a film that made me think, put the pieces together, pay attention to every detail and then blew my mind by the way it all came together. The beginning of the film is predictable, at least that is what the audience is led to believe.   For the first 30 minutes or so, I was convinced that I already knew the film - it felt like every other "heist" film that exists.  Then the story takes so many unexpected turns, that by the end I began to question if it can even be considered a "heist" movie at all.  

3. The character motivation isn't believable - The only thing I would fault the movie for is the presented reasons for the characters actions. I would almost prefer for the film to give us no motivation (leaving the audience to come to their own conclusions) than to give us ones that don't make sense. I find it hard to digest that the motivation behind Roger's actions is simply his insecurity about his height.  There has to be more to it than that....right? Although, in thinking about it, anytime someone asks me to describe the perfect guy, the first thing I say is "tall" but that is just because I assume they are trying to set me up with someone, so I just describe Cory Monteith "tall, Canadian, drummer, totally awkward but confident in his own awkwardness, former bad boy, has a passion for hockey".  I keep going until the person stops me - "wow, Michelle, that is incredibly specific".  To which I reply "yup, I'm really picky....but if you find that guy, you can totally set me up with him".  Sorry, for the tangent but my point is that "tall" doesn't actually matter.  It's weird to me that a guy would feel the need to overcompensate for that reason alone.  Also, (*spoiler ahead*) it is revealed that his wife does in fact love him (we are led to believe that she is materialistic and only with him because he buys her things), but there is no reason as to why (which in this case, we need a reason).  He spends the entire movie treating her like garbage, it would have been nice to have some sort of justification behind her love (otherwise she would need some help, psychologically).  The "villain" is a bit too one-sided, plus his actions seem a bit extreme for his motivation (which I won't give away).  He just doesn't seem human at all.