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The Snowman

Universal Pictures

Working Title Films

Another Park Film

Perfect World Pictures

Sweden

United Kingdom

United States of America

English

Michael Fassbender

Rebecca Ferguson

Charlotte Gainsbourg

Jonas Karlsson

Michael Yates

Ronan Vibert

J.K. Simmons

Val Kilmer

David Dencik

Toby Jones

Genevieve O'Reilly

James D'Arcy

Jeté Laurence

Adrian Dunbar

Chloë Sevigny

Jakob Oftebro

Leonard Samuelsson Heinemann

Sofia Helin

Peter Dalle

Anne Reid

Silvia Busuioc

Jamie Michie

Irina Kara

Ben Abell

Alec Newman

Jamie Clayton

Dinita Gohil

Roger Barclay

Alwyne Taylor

Lars Berrum

Max de Asmundis

Jack Roth

Charlot Daysh

Jan Lindwall

Aurora Nossen

Johnny Otto

Harris Reiz

Anthony Mark Streeter

Marius Tveit

Bjørn Iversen

Stian Werme

Stani Lolo Jean

Ali Al-Tobi

Thomas Gangstad

Martin Grid Toennesen

Mikael Ulrichsen

Karoline Stemre

Zoe Freed

Glen Gathard

Blake Leyh

Maria Zahl

Peter Burgis

Fiona Chaffey

Tomas Alfredson

Jo Nesbø

Tim Bevan

Robyn Slovo

Eric Fellner

Simon Diggins

Nick Baldock

Marco Beltrami

Sebastian Vaskio

Rob Davidsson

Andy Welker

Robert Cowper

Ben Collins

Jill Beecher

Susanna Riccio

Jon-André Hakvåg

Amelia Granger

Tatiana Macdonald

Hilde Smukkestad Lavik

Stefano Pepin

Henrik Efskin

Louise Kjær

Emma Scott

Jarl Grantin Johnsen

David Odstad

Astrid Strøm Astrup

Oskar Wallroth

Jina Jay

Geir M.V. Andersen

Andreas Bru Eide

Niclas Salomonsson

Claire Simpson

Gayle Dickie

Love Larson

Vidar Svendsen

Alex Oakley

Grzegorz Bodziony

Kai Kolstad Rødseth

Thor Erik Løkken

Richard Hewitt

Mattias Tobiasson

James Roberts

Odd Hynnekleiv

Linda Janson

Grant Butler

Sandro Ercolini

Kedy Hassani

Daniell Ashby

Per Christian Dyrø

Thomas J. Elliott

Robert Egron Erstad

Liza Chasin

Peta Dunstall

Tor Arne Øvrebø

Maria Djurkovic

Jennifer Wynne

Anders Eide

Johan Kuurne

Pål André Sterud

Martin Scorsese

Frank Collins

Andrew Hughes

Daniel Kong

Gianmarco Donaggio

Peter Gustafsson

Øyvind Langdalen

John Andreas Andersen

Johannes Selvaag

Mark Hopkins

Chris Cull

Christel Jørgensen

Marius Matzow Gulbrandsen

Jeanette McGrath

Saul Metzstein

Cristina Cecili

Martin Trevis

Rachelle Beinart

Paul Herbert

Michael Berglund

Theresa Winkelmann

Jessie Frost

Helene Arnesen

Heather Newman

Nil Borg

Deryn Stafford

Njål Lambrechts

William Conacher

Edd Gamlin

Lewis Wright

Harriet Løkensgard

Emma Cronly

Sasha Gibson

Gimly

Honestly, it should probably be shown in one of your early lessons in a film class. Slap on any given scene and ask the question "Now which decisions did you spot that should never have been made in this or any movie?"

Honestly the only reason it even comes away with a whopping(!) one-and-a-half stars, is that minute to minute, _The Snowman_ is so bizarre, that it actually reaches levels of laugh-out-loud funny.

_Final rating:★½: - Boring/disappointing. Avoid where possible._

This infamous flop is a pretty-to-look-at mess of confusion, tension, and some very good performances.  In Norway, Detective Harry Hole (Michael Fassbender) and his new bright-eyed partner Katrine (Rebeecca Ferguson) are investigating a series of disappearances that have been going on for years, some centered around philanthropist Arve Stop (J.K. Simmons).  A calling card, the titular snowman, is left at the crime scenes, and are the signature of some anonymous letters Hole is starting to receive.  Harry and Katrine go through the motions, taking advantage of the police department's new piece of technical marvel equipment.  Harry also involves himself in his former girlfriend Rakel's (Charlotte Gainsbourg) life, and the couple seem to be pining for each other once again.

It's never a good sign when your film's director admits that he only had time to shoot 85% of a screenplay he was handed after being brought on when the original director, Martin Scorsese, dropped out.  There are a couple of scenes in the trailer that didn't make the cut of the film simply because there was nowhere to insert them in this incomprehensible story.  Oscar winners Claire Simpson and Thelma Schoonmaker were credited as editors, but their expertise can't salvage this mess.  The film takes place in Norway, with travels to Bergen in Germany, but all the performers speak English.  The setting and character names are Scandinavian, try to stop laughing at the name "Harry Hole," but the film makers oddly went with this cast instead of moving the setting to Canada or Alaska, or hiring a Norwegian cast.

On the positive, and I don't know how, the cast is great.  Fassbender is seen waking up from a drunken stupor a few too many times, but his performance is very good.  Ferguson is okay, but Gainsbourg turns her ex-girlfriend character into something special, and I wish we could have had more of her.  Karlsson has her new boyfriend is achingly polite and naive, not quite picking up on the chemistry between Harry and Rakel.  Aside from a few iffy special effects shots, the true locations are gorgeous, cold, and snowy.  Based on a series of novels by Jo Nesbo (why start shooting with the seventh one?), this should have been a franchise starter, but the box office returns took care of that idea.  From what I have read online, the screenplay strays from the novel on key plot points and kills off a couple of major characters who would return in later novels.

It's too bad this didn't work, I would have liked to see more of this character in less convoluted, confused cases.  "The Snowman" left the viewer, and apparently the film makers, cold.

International Trailer

Official Trailer

Best Movies

The Snowman

Cast & Crew

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Cast

Michael Fassbender

Rebecca Ferguson

Charlotte Gainsbourg

Jonas Karlsson

Michael Yates

Ronan Vibert

J.K. Simmons

Val Kilmer

David Dencik

Toby Jones

Box office

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