The Snowman is the case of a ‘could-have-been’ brilliant, Scandi-crime thriller adaptation of the 2007 bestselling book by Norwegian noir writer, Jo Nesbø, that unfortunately falls flat due to a lack of character depth, confusion within the story and plot lines that lead nowhere.
Elite crime squad detective and tormented alcoholic, Harry Hole, is drawn into investigating the mysterious disappearance of a single mother during the first snow of winter in Sweden, with only an ominous snowman wearing the woman’s scarf as evidence to go by. As the investigation continues, following the disappearance (and eventual murder) of another single woman, Hole, with the help of the dedicated new recruit, Katrine Bratt, begins to believe that this is the work of an elusive serial killer as he finds connections between the new murders and decades-old cold cases.
As time goes on more people become entwined in the investigation of the murders, most notably a high-ranking Government official, Arve Stop, who is found to be involved with a doctor known for giving local single women abortions. Their relationship seems based on some form of horrific sex-trafficking ring of vulnerable young women, but, despite this adding another level of mystery, it only ends up (frustratingly) fabricating more questions for the audience than it answers.
Alongside the horrific murders, Hole himself also struggles with an obvious alcohol addiction while also trying to maintain somewhat of a connection with his ex-girlfriend’s son, with whom he is not the father, but tries to assume the fatherly role. This part of the storyline does provide some favourable depth to Hole’s character and, in the end, proves vital to the unravelling of the film’s complex plotline.
Similarly to the American film adaptation of popular Swedish author, Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, director Tomas Alfredson’s take on this Scandinavian crime/thriller feels unnecessarily rushed. With the screenplay involving many jumps back and forth through time, as well as an unnecessarily full cast of characters, The Snowman becomes a cluttered and hurried take on what should be a slower, tension-building storyline.
Michael Fassbender continues to present his well-established intense and brooding facial expressions, and, unfortunately, not a lot else. While not necessarily giving a bad performance, Fassbender does little to inspire the audience as a lauded lead detective in the case of a brutal serial killer whose violence can’t seem to be stopped.
Rebecca Fergusson, following Fassbender’s lead, is rather mediocre as Katrine Bratt, the female investigative side kick who’s hiding a deeply-felt personal secret. This could be due to the fact that she really wasn’t given much to work with within the script, which left almost no room for the necessary depth of her emotionally damaged character to truly connect with the audience.
A highlight is the consistently brilliant Chloë Sevigny who plays twins in the film, one of whom finds herself as a murder victim, but, unfortunately, she is only given minor roles and is highly under-utilised. In contrast to Sevigny’s refreshingly believable performance is Val Kilmer’s unusual and strangely dubbed portrayal of a past detective on the case of the snowman serial killer, leaving the audience questioning why on earth he was picked for a role so vital to the storyline.
Due to its many inconsistencies and a parade of forgettable characters, this potentially exciting Scandinavian thriller turns out to be a disappointingly mediocre murder mystery. Next time, the job should probably just be left to the Scandinavians so as to produce a winning film that does justice to the skill of their crime writers.
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