Saturday, April 22, 2023

The Snowman

Movie Name:
The Snowman
Year of Release: 2017
Director: Tomas Alfredson
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Rebecca Ferguson, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jonas Karlsson, Chloe Sevigny, Ronan Vibert, J.K. Simmons, Val Kilmer, Toby Jones, Genevieve O'Reilly, James D'Arcy, Adrian Dunbar, Michael Yates, David Dencik, Jete Laurence, Jamie Clayton
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 3
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review
After breaking through with "Let the Right One In", director Tomas Alfredson soon returned with "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy", which was another critical darling. "The Snowman" was his following big project and was his first resounding setback, both critically and commercially. The film is an adaptation of one of the novels by author Jo Nesbø, which focuses on the character of police detective Harry Hole (unfortunate name, but so be it). The film introduces us to Harry as he's going through a rough patch in his life, being completely consumed by his alcohol addiction, which has sacrificed his relationship with Rakel, and estranged him from her son Oleg. A series of murders starts occurring, targeting women who have had family issues or have had to make some difficult decisions regarding bearing children. Harry starts receiving notes from the killer regarding these murders, all of which have a very similar and violently graphic staging. In parallel Harry starts working with a new partner by the name of Katrine, who also has an agenda of her own, and whose past may even have connections with this killer. Harry has to find ways to navigate this puzzling investigation, and still maintain his relationship with Rakel and Oleg, which in the meantime has become more complicated with the introduction of Mathias, whom Rakel is dating. 
While "The Snowman" has all the ingredients to make a superb confection, the film was sadly riddled with issues during shooting, which included substantial amounts of the script not being shot, which explains why some characters are somewhat inconsistently depicted and showcased throughout the film. Inconsistencies seems to be one of the things that immediately springs to mind, since all the characters in this film seem to all be hailing from very different narratives. They all have substantially different accents, with some speaking with a British accent, others with a Swedish accent, and others a mix of American accent with something else, all of this of course considering that the narrative takes place in Sweden. The intention of using the icy landscapes as a backdrop for these clinically precise and methodical killings makes sense, however the killer and his intent are given very little attention, the same going for the characters who are in his pursuit. The adaption of the novel is clumsily put together, which means we never really understand or get any context as to why Harry is an alcoholic, nor what makes him such a celebrated detective (or the sudden interest of the killer in him). The relationship he has with Rakel, while filled with chemistry is also never explored much, the same going for the sub-plots involving Val Kilmer and Toby Jones' characters (why are they such antagonists). It's a film that needed a better script, with better context into why these characters find themselves in the situations they're in, and where the characters themselves have the opportunity to have some nuance and a sense of a journey (J.K. Simmons character is underused, as is the actor himself). What is left is indeed the talent of this cast who tries to do the best they can in a chaotic universe, with Michael Fassbender and Charlotte Gainsbourg being the highlights. Rebecca Ferguson who is always a welcomed addition to any film, has little to do here, as do Chloe Sevigny (why was she even doing this film), Toby Jones and Val Kilmer (his character and plot thread in particular deserved some additional attention). The cinematography from the great Dion Beebe is sadly wasted here. A wasted opportunity. 

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