Neige assassine

This "thriller" has a wandering yet fittingly weird plot, but the film sets the role of acting (and the lines actors are given to work with) into unusually high relief. A laconic loser whose expression almost never changes (with perfectly greasy hair) is coupled with a younger, fun-loving guy very much NOT of the overdone stoner-dude type that populates so many American movies. It takes a lot to worry this childlike "man," and the actor is possessed of a sweet, rubbery face of infinite expressiveness that makes the story a true joy to watch. For example, the transformations that flicker across his increasingly lustful countenance as a hot babe talks about sex are a wonder -- this is method acting at its most delightful. He's got a metal plate in his head that makes it bullet-resistant, which could have been cartoonish, but is somehow just right for his character. He's a 33-year-old (my guess) who never left junior high. His companion pulls his weight in the other direction with his world-weary ennui (not to mention boredom, anxiety and flickers of intelligence and terror). It's weirdly fun to watch an occasionally very suspenseful movie carried along by two such un-German Germans (to those familiar with Germans as they're usually portrayed). I was very entertained by this film.

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.

A unique and, to me, hilarious film. The dialog is a treasure, with just the right density for the setting. The characters are well and carefully developed, for the relatively shallow people they are meant to be. I've seen it compared to "Dumb and Dumber", but that is really not a meaningful comparison, as this is a much darker and existential film. Indeed, there are a serious of tortuous situations the two main characters are run through. The film comes across a bit like a Tarantino in the woods but without the 70s baggage and with a touch of Stephen King. The film is full of great twists and turns and well paced, considering the idyllic setting. I cannot wait for another film from this writer/director. It is very nice that it was picked up by Netflix in the US. You will like it a lot or not at all.

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.

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.