Mikes Film Talk

The 2017 crime/horror film The Snowman is slow, beautiful and quirky. It is directed by  Tomas Alfredson (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Let the Right One In) The Snowman . It is based on Jo Nesbo’s novel of the same name. The Snowman is made from a screenplay co-authored by   Peter Straughan,  Hossein Amini and Søren Sveistrup. It features a case of the alcoholic Harry Hole (pronounced holy) played by Michael Fassbender. Fans of the “Nordic Noir” series featuring the FBI trained inspector will be, no doubt, a tad disappointed. The screen version may not live up to their expectations.  

Changes

For a start, there is no mention as to why Hole is such an asset to the police department. We have no clue why his boss is willing to cover for his being AWOL from work. The film also touches all too briefly on that love affair. The one between Harry and his ex-girlfriend Rakel, played by Charlotte Gainsbourg. The Snowman film changes the story line somewhat. This seems to be an attempt to fit the film in a two hour time period. 

I personally adore the entire Harry Hole series by Nesbo.  The Snowman is sixth in the series. It does seem odd that the filmmakers opted for this late novel. Although the movie still works. We miss the intimacy of the books. There is no real focus on Hole or his alcoholic habit. It does not mention why he and Rakel are still, on the sly, a couple.

The books emphasize the sexual proclivity of Harry. It shows his weakness for alcohol and the grip it has on his everyday existence.

However

The film feels right. The story of Harry, as well as Nesbo’s superb novel The Headhunter  leaves so much out. *The Headhunter film was also guilty of this. * The film has to leave a lot of Nesbo’s work and character development out. If it did not the finished project would have been over four hours long.

I loved the series and Hole as a character. He felt a bit like a Norwegian version of England’s “Cracker.” A role played so well by that behemoth of talent Robbie Coltrane. He did actually have a career before Hagrid in the Harry Potter franchise. Both characters are head and shoulders above their colleagues in skill sets and yet seriously flawed.

At first glance, Fassbender seems a poor choice to play Hole in “The Snowman.” However, he shines as the alcoholic cop who is deeply addicted to booze. He is attached to his ex-girlfriend and to the pursuit of criminals. He is also, it seems, addicted to sex and not just with his ex. This is more evident in the books.

The actual story

A woman goes missing. All that is left behind is her colorful scarf; wrapped around the neck of a snowman. The trail then leads Hole and his new partner Katrine Bratt  (Rebecca Ferguson) to investigate a slew of missing women. All the cases seem to be interlinked and Bratt has her own personal agenda while working on the case.

issues

Bratt leads us to the most puzzling aspect of the film meant to be directed by Scorsese. Her father, played by a very ill-looking Val Kilmer, is part of the case. This is despite his being dead for a very long time. Kilmer, who looks to be on death’s door, has his lines dubbed for the film. This has the effect of throwing one right out of the story.

Scorsese was attached to the film. This was when the initial prospect of The Snowman being made into a film was in its infancy. Alfredson gives us a pretty well rounded film despite the odd bits of editing and continuity that jar and annoy.

*Hole says it is all about missing persons. This is moments after finding the head of a missing woman stuck on a small snowman. His prognosis is clearly wrong.*

J.K Simmons affects an English accent. Toby Jones is vastly underused and the film deviates from its source quite a lot. Still, the mood and atmosphere remain faithful to Nesbo’s novel . The movie looks stunning. There is no doubt that we are in Norway, despite the lack of folks speaking the local lingo. Although some minor parts do speak in what sounds like Norwegian.

It would have been interesting to see a Norwegian version of this film. One with a cast of Nordic performers and subtitles. This effort did manage to entertain, despite its overall length of just under two hours.

The Verdict

The Snowman scores a full 4.5 stars out of five for its atmosphere and the ability to keeps one glued to the screen throughout. The appearance of Val Kilmer serves to mystify rather than intrigue. However, the rest of the film manages to pull the viewer in nicely.

Check this one out at the cinema if you can. It will be worth it, and then rush out and read the books by Jo Nesbo. You will be glad you did. This is a quirky Nordic Noir thriller that manages to deliver despite deviating from the superb book.

The Snowman is streaming on Netflix.

The Trailer