Review of The Snowman (2017) by Jamesdrawsthngs — 11 Sep 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. 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.