Uno (2004)

Aksel Hennie is a recognizable face in Norwegian cinema. Perhaps his most recognizable role stateside is as Roger in Headhunters based on the eponymous novel by Jo Nesbø. Uno is Hennie’s directorial debut; he also wrote the screenplay.

Twenty-something David (Hennie) lives in a cramped apartment with his distant mother, terminally ill father and younger brother Kjetil (Espen Juul Kristiansen) who has Down’s Syndrome. David actually sleeps in the apartment’s storage space, ceding the shared bedroom to his brother.

David spends his days working at a gym with his best friend Morten (Nicolai Cleve Broch). Gym owner Jarle (Bjørn Floberg) would have his hands full with his inept thug of a son Lars (Martin Skaug) were it not for Aksel’s constant interceding to get Lars out of jams. Lars sells steriods and brings guns to the gym while holding on to his dream of becoming a cop (social commentary?). Jarle disapproves of Lars criminal missteps, not in the criminal activities themselves. Lars’s floundering illegal activities thrust David into the crosshairs of real gangsters when Lars backs out of a shady steroids deal with Khuram (Ahmed Zeyan), a deal David helped Lars secure by assuring Khuram that Lars was good for an outstanding 40,000 worth of drugs. When Lars can’t meet the deal, David is on the hook. This follows a steroids bust at the gym when David is faced with a choice that will change his life.

Uno delves into friendship dynamics and betrayal. It’s a character-driven drama and while David is no longer an adolescent, Uno plays like a coming-of-age meets loss-of-innocence meets welcome-to-the-world movie. Hennie gives us clues. The ending has problems but overall, the movie works. There’s even a subplot involving a dog but that doesn’t end well, especially if you are a dog lover.

If you like Uno and want more of Hennie and Broch, check out Buddy, another Norwegian offering starring Broch and Hennie. It’s a feel-good movie—very different from Uno.

Writer/Co-director: Aksel Hennie

Country: Norway

Genre: Drama

Run time: 100 minutes

Scale: 3

Hodejegerne (Headhunters) 2011

Headhunters, based on the Jo Nesbø novel, centers around Roger (Aksel Hennie), a recruiter who will get you the fantasy job if you are hungry enough. And, if you own any one-of-a-kind art, even better because Roger is an art thief—a successful one.

He thieves to finance the high-rolling lifestyle he maintains for his art-gallery owner wife Diana (Synnøve Macody Lund). This is the life Diana is accustomed to. She has model good looks and loves Roger but Roger has been cagey about giving her the thing she wants most—a family. Roger’s insecurities, including his short stature, have led him to create distance from Diana and engage in an affair.

When mystery man Clas (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) appears at Diana’s gallery party, Roger believes he may have found his golden egg. Clas is a perfect candidate for a job Roger is looking to fill and has in his possession an original Rubens. If Roger and his thieving partner can get their hands on the Rubens, their futures will be secure. That is, unless Clas beats him at the game and moves in on Diana and maybe even makes a play for Roger’s life.

Headhunters initially paces its plot and then, hits a sudden sprint—it’s abrupt but works. The ending is unexpectedly satisfying.

Director: Morten Tyldum

Country: Norway

Genre: Thriller

Run time: 100 minutes

Scale: 4