The Snowman

Name: The Snowman
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Horror, Crime
Released: October 20, 2017
Duration: 119 min
Rating: 23
Cast: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Chloë Sevigny, David Dencik, J.K. Simmons, James D'Arcy

2017

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Generally unfavorable reviews based on 40 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 130 Ratings

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4.0	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 130 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

Universal Pictures | Release Date: October 20, 2017 | R

Starring: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Chloë Sevigny, David Dencik, J.K. Simmons, James D'Arcy, Jamie Clayton, Jonas Karlsson, Michael Fassbender, Michael Yates, Rebecca Ferguson, Ronan Vibert, Silvia Busuioc, Toby Jones, Val Kilmer

Summary: When an elite crime squad’s lead detective (Michael Fassbender) investigates the disappearance of a victim on the first snow of winter, he fears an elusive serial killer may be active again. With the help of a brilliant recruit (Rebecca Ferguson), the cop must connect decades-old cold cases to the brutal new one if he hopes to outwit thisWhen an elite crime squad’s lead detective (Michael Fassbender) investigates the disappearance of a victim on the first snow of winter, he fears an elusive serial killer may be active again. With the help of a brilliant recruit (Rebecca Ferguson), the cop must connect decades-old cold cases to the brutal new one if he hopes to outwit this unthinkable evil before the next snowfall.… Expand

Director: Tomas Alfredson

Genre(s): Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Horror, Crime

Rating: R

Runtime: 119 min

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Critic Reviews

Mark Feeney

Oct 19, 2017

Director Tomas Alfredson and cinematographer Dion Beebe have given The Snowman a gloriously subdued look. Read full review

IndieWire Eric Kohn

Oct 11, 2017

Alfredson’s direction proves yawnsomely methodical, ticking off surviving plot points as though filling in some I-Spy Book of Scandinavian Crime Cliches. Read full review

Fionnuala Halligan

Oct 11, 2017

Jo Nesbo’s Harry Hole series is comprised of page-turning, airport-blockbuster Scandi crime potboilers; Alfredson scorches the seventh, The Snowman, with such art-house intensity that it eventually melts into an exhausted puddle. Read full review

Gary Thompson

Oct 19, 2017

The Snowman is reminder that movies are hard to make, highly collaborative, often chaotic, and hundreds of things can go wrong. Here, everything did. Read full review

James Berardinelli

Oct 21, 2017

Apparently, someone turned up the heat because The Snowman is a sloppy mess. Read full review

Marc Savlov

Oct 25, 2017

Despite the game cast and some marvelously atmospheric cinematography from Oscar-winning DP Dion Beebe, The Snowman is a slog. Read full review

The Playlist Kevin Jagernauth

Oct 19, 2017

With some films, you can tell where one or two things went wrong — perhaps a decision in script, or a performance that’s off base — but The Snowman is the rare movie where for every choice, there was a better way to go. Read full review

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User Reviews

CoKronakan

Nov 17, 2018

[Disclaimer: I am rating this movie without reading the book, or knowing anything about the original story. I am purely rating this for the movie and it's aspects which might be affected by me not knowing the 'original' plot] It felt like a depressive state, which is exactly the vibe the[Disclaimer: I am rating this movie without reading the book, or knowing anything about the original story. I am purely rating this for the movie and it's aspects which might be affected by me not knowing the 'original' plot] It felt like a depressive state, which is exactly the vibe the director was going for with the color pallet and the environmental feel, plus with his interesting choice of cinematography. The cast delivered great for me and really gave over the tension and emotion of the characters which can immerse the audience with this story. It has no pacing issue, on the contrary it takes things to fast for a non-familiar audience with the book. And the plot gets even more complex throughout the movie, which is good and enhances the thriller feeling of it. The non linear and non-chronological order of scenes gives every single detail almost at the right time, up until apex of the movie, after which pieces fall to it's place but most of them never do, with a bunch of plot holes that where pretty relevant but hard to notice. The visuals and even the sound effects where very realistic and gruesomely practical. It won me over with it's original story, and perhaps I will even pick up the book. Overall I consider this to be a very good movie, but solely a movie. I think that this is VERY underrated movie, and is only held back by the anticlimactic ending and lacking a proper conclusion to our protagonists life, and a few other small elements mentioned over my review. [Again, I rated the movie as it is and not compared it to the book.]… Expand

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

oldcoot

Nov 5, 2017

A good film. Basically true to the book. Difficult if not impossible to capture Nesbo's intricately layered plot in the time span of a film. Great Norwegian scenes. Good acting. I liked it.

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

Acacia

Oct 28, 2017

This movie is not horrible. It is a bit confusing though. There are still some bits that were thrown in that didn’t seem to go anywhere or lead anywhere. It does get off to a slow start, I felt. But, ultimately, it wasn’t a bad movie and certainly held my interest for the duration. TheThis movie is not horrible. It is a bit confusing though. There are still some bits that were thrown in that didn’t seem to go anywhere or lead anywhere. It does get off to a slow start, I felt. But, ultimately, it wasn’t a bad movie and certainly held my interest for the duration. The plot may have come off better in the book (which I did not read) because it mostly seems implausible if tou put it all together.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

Kfischeven

Oct 30, 2017

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Slow movie - attempts to build characters and plot but fails as I became so bored I closed my eyes for a few moments. Nice twist in plot that finishes the movie as one would expect.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

JamesDrawsThngs

Sep 11, 2020

Talk about a complete, choppy mess. The Snowman was a film I have always been curious about ever since its initial release, mostly due to how infamous it was and how even the director of the film commented on its incomplete nature. After giving it a watch myself, I can completely agree. ThisTalk about a complete, choppy mess. The Snowman was a film I have always been curious about ever since its initial release, mostly due to how infamous it was and how even the director of the film commented on its incomplete nature. After giving it a watch myself, I can completely agree. This movie had lots of potential, but it is ultimately wasted by a plodding narrative, botched editing, characters and story arcs that end up amounting to nothing. The basic premise is that there’s a serial killer who goes after women, specifically women with marital issues and children, and the killer always builds a snowman near the scene of the crime acting like a calling card. Washed up detective Harry Hole (HA!) and his new partner Katrine are set to investigate these murders and catch the killer. To get at least a few positives out of the way, the casting is rather notable, and for the most part they do alright with the material given to them. There are even some moments of really great cinematography, with beautifully shot landscapes and lighting. Unfortunately, that’s where my positives end for the film, because Jesus Christ this movie is a mess. First off, the cinematography may be solid, but the editing is awful. Right from the start, the editing is incredibly choppy, with no sense of pacing. It’s an issue that is prevalent throughout much of the film, whether it be a basic passage of time or a chopped up flashback sequence. I would also like to give special mention to Val Kilmer’s inclusion in this film. He was sick around this time, and thus they had to ADR over his lines, and man does it look bad. The way the dialogue is being spoken not only doesn’t match Kilmer’s physical acting, but it also doesn’t sync well with his mouth movements. He doesn’t appear very long in the movie and just ultimately feels wasted. By far, though, the biggest problem with this film is its story and structure. It’s no secret that about 15% of the script wasn’t even filmed, and it shows. Most of the characters get very little development, plot points that seem like they are about to go somewhere have little to no resolution, and the movie itself ends in such and anti-climactic way that you are just left feeling unfulfilled and baffled by what you just watched. What could have been doesn’t change the fact that what we were given was such a mess, and I’d almost recommend the film for that alone. If you were looking for a far more affective thriller, just go watch something like Zodiac.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

EpicLadySponge

Oct 20, 2017

A movie that fails to receive any connection to the bestselling book that adapted this film ten years later, The Snowman hardly relates itself to the mystery genre that the bestselling book had. Newcomers would become heavily disappointed not to read the book first since this mess-holderA movie that fails to receive any connection to the bestselling book that adapted this film ten years later, The Snowman hardly relates itself to the mystery genre that the bestselling book had. Newcomers would become heavily disappointed not to read the book first since this mess-holder will completely leave 100% of newcomers clueless on what the film attempts to follow.… Expand

9 of 15 users found this helpful96

Rebecca31

Oct 20, 2017

We all know those people who’ve read the book before the movie comes out. They sit there and critique every tiny little detail. “Oh the book did this and that and it was so much better, read the book everyone because the film doesn’t do it justice.” Well I’m going to turn into one of thoseWe all know those people who’ve read the book before the movie comes out. They sit there and critique every tiny little detail. “Oh the book did this and that and it was so much better, read the book everyone because the film doesn’t do it justice.” Well I’m going to turn into one of those people so brace yourselves. I’m a huge fan of Jo Nesbø, his books are in a league of their own. So naturally when I heard The Snowman was getting a movie adaptation I was delighted. Admittedly choosing the seventh book in the series to make into a film was strange but as it’s a hugely popular book I understand why they chose this one. I’ve been following it for years, looking at every set photo, poster, trailer and now on Friday October 13th 2017 it’s finally here. So Tomas Alfredson I’ve just got one question for you. Have you actually read The Snowman?

I’m gutted, I wanted more than anything for this to pull itself together into a great crime/thriller but it’s worse than I could have imagined. Michael Fassbender as Detective Harry Hole, Rebecca Ferguson as Katrine Bratt, great casting, based on a terrific book so someone please tell me how The Snowman got it so wrong? Oslo’s greatest detective investigating the gruesome murders by a serial killer calling himself The Snowman. Vastly underdeveloped characters with little to no chemistry between any of them. They’re simply showing up, saying their lines and going home again. Oh but don’t worry there are lots of pretty scenic shots accompanied by some nice piano music shoved in your face every five minutes. All pieced together by an absolute sorry excuse for an editor. Was this even edited by anyone? It’s honestly hard to tell. The pacing is all over the place, any attempt at building the tension failed. The story moves at an unbearably slow pace eventually the challenge isn’t figuring out who the killer is. No it’s fighting off sleep.

Who to blame for this? The writers? Director? All you had to do was follow the book, it was all there for you in black and white. Is it that hard? Seriously I want to know because it almost seems like you went out of your way to make this so bad. A poor imitation, a missed opportunity, a waste of time. A crime movie which certainly doesn’t deserve that title. No suspense, no atmosphere, nothing. I nearly fell asleep more than once so if you’re looking for something to watch over the weekend make sure to avoid The Snowman at all costs. I can’t think of a single thing I liked about it, beyond terrible so for that reason it deserves a 0/10.… Expand

6 of 8 users found this helpful62

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