Snowman's Land

Snowman's Land is about a couple of hit men who are sent to a remote snow-bound house to fulfil an unspecified mission. While there they accidentally kill a crime-lord's wife and shortly after this, things begin to spiral out of control.

This German crime film is essentially character driven. There are a number of quirky personalities who populate the narrative. And some humour is certainly derived from the interactions between these people. Most of the strength of the film comes from this, as the storyline is basically quite weak. The plot-line is extremely loose, where things happen and twists in the story occur with very little overall purpose. The interaction between the femme fatale and the hit men, for example, has the potential to lead the story into interesting territory but it never unfortunately really happens. Instead, her accidental murder more or less becomes an irrelevance and the story moves on into a less interesting direction. Generally speaking, the focus of the movie is very much more on deriving humour rather than thrills from the crime story framework.

Snowman's Land is by no means a poor film; it's just one that could have been so much more. While it is funny and inventive at times, it is also a bit too unfocused for its own good too. Worth checking out if you like quirky crime comedies though.

Snowman's Land is a superb exercise in suspense. While the story is character driven and remains absurdly plausible until the end, Snowman's Land is in no way predictable. Walter, a sub-par hit man, is summoned to a remote mountain lodge to work for a crime boss who had disappeared from the scene several years before. Walter's colleague and fellow hit man turns out to be an old acquaintance, Mickey, who has his own history of botched jobs and brushes with death. The action is a sustained, deliberate adrenaline rush that eschews the cut-happy editing blitz of most dark comedies about the criminal underworld. Snowman's Land makes full use of the ecosystem at hand and it seems like the celluloid itself is covered in a fresh dusting of snow.

This movie is not very typical of German (dark) comedies -- it's intelligently written and well thought out. The actors do a great job of making situations which could easily fall flat very enjoyable to watch and the dialogue is strong.

It is easy to root for and sympathize with the main character, even when his actions are questionable; the actor does a great job of pulling off the role. The movie is quiet and reserved, there is no slapstick or cheesy dialogue to keep things moving. It remains suspenseful, however, until the end. Definitely worth seeing if you enjoy untraditional comedies.

I love the title. I think it's a nice wordplay. But when the movie starts you almost feel that it could go completely wrong. The voice over feels wrong. Then it does seem as if it does mix in with the mood of the film. A very slow moving thriller if you will. Very bad things may happen here and nobody may notice.

But that's also sort of its downfall. The fact, that it is very uneven, having great scenes followed by very weak scenes. Great performances with just completely weird dialog. Potential in the script that does not get fully explored and exposed. Ideas that seem to get thrown out the window halfway through. Still in its weirdness it stays kind of engaging. If you like weird that is.

Walter is a professional killer who messed up a job. Therefore he has to leave the country and takes up an offer from the crime boss Berger to protect his house in the remote Carpathian mountains. His old friend Mickey - not the brightest one - comes along. What first looks like a holiday with little work turns out a nightmare when Berger's girlfriend is killed by accident.

"Snowman's Land" is full of fantastic black humor in the style of the Coen Brothers. The perfect cast, music and the setting in the snowy remoteness create a very atmospheric universe. Although some narrative threads may not tie in the end - until then the surprising turns of the story are highly entertaining.