The Snowman (2017)

	Directed by: Tomas Alfredson	COUNTRY UK/USA/Sweden GENRE Crime/Thriller NORWEGIAN TITLE Snømannen RUNNING TIME 119 minutes
	Produced by: Tim Bevan Eric Fellner Piodor Gustafsson Robyn Slovo
	Written by (based on the novel by Jo Nesbø): Peter Straughan Hossein Amini Søren Sveistruo

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Detective Harry Hole	Michael Fassbender	½
Katrine Bratt	Rebecca Ferguson
Rakel Fauke	Charlotte Gainsbourg	½
Gert Rafto	Val Kilmer	½
Arve Støp	J. K. Simmons	½
Investigator Svenson	Toby Jones	½
Frederick Aasen	Adrian Dunbar	-
Idar Vetlesen	David Dencik	-
DCI Gunnar Hagen	Ronan Vibert	-
Sylvia Ottersen / Ane Pedersen	Chloë Sevigny	-
Filip Becker	James D'Arcy	-
Birte Becker	Genevieve O'Reilly	-
Jonas Lund-Helgesen	Peter Dalle	-
Edda	Jamie Clayton	-
Magnus Skarre	Jakob Oftebro	-
Mathias Lund-Helgesen	Jonas Karlsson	½

Review

This is a curious Harry Hole adaptation that tries to juggle several interests at once, without really laying the necessary groundwork for them. The setting is Norway, the language is English(!), and the characters and their behaviours seem to be customised to satisfy a perceived Hollywood fantasy version of Norway, filtered, of course, through Jo Nesbø's often bizarre worldview. Swedish director Tomas Alfredson (Låt den rätte komma in) didn't bring much of his Scandinavian identity to this picture, except perhaps for the amount of snow. He also has great trouble making the story coherent and truly engaging as a crime thriller. One of the problems is that Harry Hole is left with no distinguishing skills or characteristics, except for the fact that he is allegedly an alcoholic, though we rarely see him drinking. Another is that half the story seems to have been left on the editing room floor – or perhaps not even reached the editing room at all. Although The Snowman at times appears to have something going for it, and boasts a stellar cast, it is constantly hampered by subpar craftsmanship and outlandish choices, such as a pitiful Val Kilmer performance, and the wild amount of silliness on display in the final twenty minutes.