Film Review: The Snowman (2017)

A freeze is coming . . .

The Snowman (15)

Starring: Michael Fassbender, Recbecca Ferguson, Charlotte Gainsbourg

Director: Tomas Alfredson

The Plot: In Norway, famous detective Harry Hole (Fassbender) is at a low point in his life, struggling to maintain a relationship with his ex-girlfriend Rakel (Gainsbourg) and her son, whilst battling alcoholism. When agent Katrine Bratt (Ferguson) is assigned to his unit, Harry becomes drawn into a new case where a serial killer is murdering women with illegitimate children, leaving menacing snowmen at each crime scene . . .

Review: Over the last few years I've grown to like crime thrillers more and more, and it's fast becoming one of my favourite genres not just in films but in books and television as well. The trailer for The Snowman had me quite excited: this is the first English adaptation of one of the Harry Hole novels by Norwegian novelist Jo Nesbø (taken from the seventh book in the series Snømannen), and while I haven't actually read any of them, I have read and watched the excellent film adaptation of his novel Headhunters, so this looked promising. Coupled with the great cast, the director from Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and the great Martin Scorcese as executive producer, this should have been excellent. Sadly, it is not.

Now, that's not to say that the film is terrible. It isn't. The general plot is good, starting off with a reveal into the killer's origins, and the film moves at a slow but acceptable pace as the investigation proceeds. The murders are suitably gruesome without focusing on gore, and I felt the balance between the actual investigation and Harry attempting to salvage his personal life was struck quite well. One noticeable odd omission in the story, however, is the lack of any kind of explanation about the snowmen themselves and why the killer leaves them as their calling card. Strange, given it's the title of the film and that visually they work, giving a creepy feel to each crime scene. The film's strongest area is the cinematography - Oslo and its surrounding areas in winter make for a beautiful environment, and there are some wonderful shots to be found here.

Where things really begin to go wrong are the film's subplots, which I'm guessing were an attempt to flesh out Katrine's character but dont' really work. The first features a series of flashbacks to another detective Gert Rafto (Val Kilmer), who is investigating the same killer several years prior. It's a frankly odd performance from Kilmer, who's wearing facial prosthetics to make his mouth disfigured for an unknown reason, and it's clear that his dialogue has been re-recorded in post and then very badly dubbed back over, spoiling any impact this plot thread is supposed to have when it's revealed (spoilers) that he's Katrine's father and was also murdered by the same killer Harry and Katrine are investigating. There's no indication that Katrine is aware of the link and this falls flat as a result.

In another subplot, Katrine is shown to have something of an obsession with philanthropist Arve Støp (J.K. Simmons), going so far as to set up a honey trap for him where she takes a gun. While Støp is shown to be an unsavoury character dabbling in prostitution, little to no explanation is given as to why Katrine pursues him in the way she does, or what her ultimate motive is in taking a gun to the trap she lays. The plot thread has virtually no connection to the main story and this again falls flat.

After its gradual pacing, the film also has a very rushed conclusion that proves disappointing. On discovering the killer's identity, Harry pursues that person to a remote location where a hostage situation takes place. This culminates in a very poorly edited "fight" sequence (more of a desperate struggle) where it was difficult to tell what actually happened, and the killer's subsequent demise (spoilers) was sudden and disappointing, despite the thematic link to their origin.

I think a big part of the film's problems is down to the editing, and not just involving the subplots and rushed ending I've already talked about. Something that happens frequently in film is that trailers feature footage that doesn't end up being in the theatrical cut - just look at Rogue One, whose trailer featured a prominent shot of a TIE fighter hovering ominously into view above Jyn, and was notoriously absent from the film. The Snowman has a similar issue: I saw the trailer a lot in the run up to the film's release, and it gave the impression that the killer had a personal vendetta against Harry (case in point, dialogue from Fassbender saying "This is personal. He's been watching us this whole time, he's playing games" and the killer calling Harry and saying "You could have saved them, you know. I gave you all the clues"). These lines don't feature in the film, nor does a scene from the trailer where Harry frantically tries to enter a burning cabin looking visually anguished. I have to wonder if these scenes and more were shot to give that thread of a personal connection, but ultimately dropped. It would explain the horribly rushed ending, amongst other things.

A quick note on performances before I wrap up. No-one really shines here, despite the talent on display. With the exception of Kilmer though, there's no really bad performances.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
A fairly decent crime thriller that's spoiled by some sub-plots that are confusing and irrelevant, a rushed conclusion and poor editing. The marketing for this film promised a sort of personal game of cat and mouse between detective and killer, and the result is very different. Not terrible, just disappointing. Still, worth a watch.