The Snowman is a crime thriller that may not live up to the hype of its literary counterpart. Based on the 2007 book by Norwegian author Jo Nesbo, the film centers on a serial killer that murders people with paternity issues. Detective Harry Hole leads the investigation to find Norway’s first true serial killer. The film stars Michael Fassbender, Rebecca Ferguson, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Val Kilmer and J.K. Simmons.
The film opens with a flashback scene to the origins of the Snowman killer and what led to him becoming Norway’s first serial killer. Two decades later we catch up to Harry Hole portrayed by Michael Fassbender who is an alcoholic detective. He along with Rebecca Ferguson’s character and newcomer in the crime solving department Katrine Bratt are given this new case file that concerns a series of murders that always seem to have a snowman outside of the crime scene which naturally becomes the calling card of the killer.
Although the film has few moments of actual suspense and thrill, it has a more pedestrian adaptation approach to the detective genre. Although the cast is stellar, their talent is underused. J.K. Simmons is the perfect example of having a role that really did not do much for the plot of the movie overall. In short, the performances themselves were well done but what the performances needed was a better storyline.
Overall, the film proves that not everything should be adapted from a book but if it is, there should be more creative freedom and a balance of using the source material along with adding some originality into it.
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