Review of The Snowman (2017) by Garry A — 21 Jan 2018

The Snowman is the perfect example of how studio interference can torpedo a project. According to reports, nigh on 15% of the script wasn't even filmed, with some scenes clearly shot a great deal of time later (actors change hairstyle and weight etc), which results in a movie that is befuddling and at times almost incoherent. It speaks volumes that the producers hired two editors - Thelma Schoonmaker, one of the greatest film editors of all time, was brought in to try and reconstruct this hotchpotch of a movie, but even her talents couldn't save it.

Worst of all is how the squadron of talent involved is wasted - you have director Tomas Alfredson (responsible for the excellent 'Let the Right One In') directing a story from the acclaimed Jo Nesbø (though the script does deviate from the source novel) with a cast starring the exemplary Michael Fassbender, and support from Toby Jones, J.K Simmons, Chloe Sevigny, Val Kilmer et al who are all squandered with characters who have no arcs or in fact any impact on the plot at all. The film just swerves from scene to scene, with no coherence or direction, and gives the cast no motivation or sympathy for the audience to latch onto and be engaged by.

Ultimately though, it is clear that the studio and producers have let Alfredson down here. If you refuse to even commit to film a huge chunk of the script, then you are always going to struggle to tell a story. It's like removing parts of a puzzle and then being surprised that you can't complete it satisfactorily. A massive disappointment.