THE SNOWMAN review

THE SNOWMAN

starring Michael Fassbender and Rebecca Ferguson

directed by Tomas Alfredson

A review by Helen J. Reynolds 

The Snowman is the second movie to be based on the bestselling novels of Jo Nesbo. This time it's a bit less Scandinavian, and a bit more Hollywood.

Michael Fassbender stars as Detective Harry Hole. He's your typical alcoholic who works in mysterious violent crimes and likes to keep people at a distance (unless they can drive him somewhere). Seems a simple enough concept but somehow even that is confusingly layered. Our introduction to Harry starts him out as a homeless man, then crazy gunman, to finally the reveal that he's a police officer. It's a lengthy stretch to mould his character and unnecessary since any fan of this genre will be very familiar with this tragic image of the homicide detective.

The story follows a series of murders involving women and the falling of snow. The killer chooses Harry Hole, taunting him in childish notes and signing them with a creepy snowman motif. It's this snowman motif that really stands out: the killer leaves his victims with a literal snowman staring back (or in some cases as a replacement head). There's a stalk-ish quality to it and the melting sad smile is disturbing to say the least. The killer also transforms snowballs into frightening moments and gives a really unnerving signature to his kills. More so because his target are mothers and these childish games are so horrifically deadly.

Harry's partner to solve the crime is new female detective, Katrine (Rebecca Ferguson) who has a story of her own that while it reads fairly obvious, she nevertheless brings a nice dynamic to the film. She's young, keen to use technology in her detective work and highly motivated to find the killer. She could have been a lead all on her own and it's frustrating that as she zones in on a suspect, Harry forces her to hand over her gun in a scene that's strange to watch. One, because Harry's not a recovered alcoholic and it's unclear why he should be allowed a gun (which at the very beginning of the film he fires at a person completely without cause) but Katrine is deemed 'too emotional' to keep hers. And two, because when he pins her to the ground he refuses to get off her, to the point that it starts to feel like assault - which isn't lessened by him kissing her head as he leaves. If it was an attempt at tenderness between them, it really failed. 

Or perhaps that's the underlying theme of the movie. Innocent moments (snowball fights, building snowmen and kissing the top of a person's head) become tainted by the violence surrounding them. It's just odd that Harry is shown as part of that corruption. 

Story-structure is really where this movie falls flat on. The Snowman starts in flashback and does so again later on, disrupting the pace and allowing the audience to piece too much together. It all but kills the suspense.   

Even though there are plenty of red-herrings, the true killer can be sussed if paying attention and the ending is drawn out in a therapy session. Yes, killers should be complex and understanding their motivations is important, but the dialogue doesn't literally need to tell the audience just what the eff is up with the dude. We also don't need Harry to explain his own issues while trying to save the ones he loves.

Some good editing could have gone a long way. Not only to steer clear of over-telling, but also showing some consistency. For example, in a scene just after we find a decapitated head Harry tells an officer that they aren't treating the case as a murder yet...Such a sloppy mistake is the result of a film without focus.

Overall, not an enjoyable movie considering the potential it had. The acting is good (there are some excellent suspects) but the story lacks the flow it needs and a real punch at the end.

A combination of:
Headhunters (2011)
Let the Right One In (2008)
Zodiac (2007)