History Film / TheSnowman2017

* NamedInTheAdaptation: [[spoiler:Mathias']] father's name is Jonas in the film, whereas he was unnamed in the novel.

** By contrast, Harry's love rival Mathias is a decent but dull plastic surgeon who covers for him and gives him pills to help him sleep. [[spoiler: He's played straight as another example when it turns out he is the killer and was using his medical skills and tools to mutilate the victims]].

* PlotHole: [[spoiler: Harry is somehow unable to see Mathias approaching him from behind when he's looking around while they're both on the surface of a ''frozen lake'', with very little fog around.]]

* BorrowedBiometricBypass: The killer chops off Katrine Bratt's index finger to gain access to the fingerprint-protected Police database.

* ChekhovsLecture: Early on we see Police staff getting an introduction to the new database with fingerprint security. This information comes back at the end when the killer uses a BorrowedBiometricBypass to get into the system.

* AdaptationalWimp: Here, Harry doesn't display much of the drive and the reasoning skills that he had in the novel, with Katrine Bratt displaying more of these qualities, making his talent come off as an InformedAttribute.

* AdaptationInducedPlotHole:
** In the novel, [[spoiler: Mathias' mother willingly had an affair with his real father and he found out while standing atop a snowman to peek into their bedroom, which led him to believe that women who had affairs with other men were cold-hearted, much like snowmen, explaining his reasoning for building snowmen.]] Here, [[spoiler: since his father was abusive toward both his mother and himself and his mother committed suicide rather than him killing her himself, his reasoning for building snowmen to mark the locations of his murders doesn't make any sense.]]
** Also, in the novel, [[spoiler:the killer is dying from the genetic disease inherited from his biological father and used to be bullied because of a physical deformity associated with said disease, in addition to seeing his (step) father unhappy in his marriage to his mother, so the Snowman's choice of victims - married women who cuckolded their husbands - actually makes sense there.]] In the movie, [[spoiler:he is shown to target one cuckolding woman, one divorcee, one cheater and one woman who's had an abortion - when his mother was ''neither'', she was TheMistress. Also, in the film it's mentioned that he resented her for "abandoning" him by committing suicide (in the novel he [[SelfMadeOrphan killed her himself]]), so his crusade which ''creates'' the MissingMom situation for children of the victims (if they have children at all, as Sylvia Ottersen doesn't in the movie) seems fueled more on InsaneTrollLogic than anything else.]]

* InformedFlaw: Harry is an alcoholic but doesn't seem to struggle with withdrawal or any other issues as a result and he's still in excellent shape despite it.

* OminouslyOpenDoor: Harry gets suspicious when he finds the door to his apartment slightly ajar. Turns out to be an unannounced inspection by a craftsman.

* TrappedInASinkingCar: Invoked by [[spoiler:the mother when committing suicide]]. Consequently, there is no struggle when her car starts sinking into the lake.
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Arve Støp is seemingly a benevolent philanthropist but is really a womanising asshole who engages in ruthless business practices.

* AdaptationNameChange: Jonas Becker becomes [[GenderFlip Josephine]] Becker in the film.

* AdaptedOut: Sylvia Ottersen and [[spoiler:Arve Støp's]] twin children don't appear here.

* AdaptationalAngstUpgrade: Zig-zagged with [[spoiler: the killer, a.k.a. Mathias]]. In the novel, [[spoiler: he was mocked by other children for lacking nipples due to a genetic defect, and when he found out that his mother was having an affair with his real father (who also lacked nipples), he decided that he wanted to die and [[TakingYouWithMe take his mother with him]]]], but here, [[spoiler: his mother committed suicide and he gained an [[AbusiveParents abusive father]] who abandoned him after his mother died, as noted above]].

* TrappedInASinkingCar: Played with. The mother is actually committing suicide this way so there is no struggle when her car starts sinking into the lake.

The film was released on October 13, 2017 in the UK and on October 20 in the US. Not to be confused with the heartwarming GraphicNovel ''ComicBook/TheSnowman'' or it's animated adaptation.

The film was released on October 13, 2017 in the UK and on October 20 in the US.

** The film overall is much more serious than its source material, which contained a great deal of DarkComedy.

->''Barely barely grieving\\
Keep the front door open...''

** Also, in the novel, [[spoiler:the killer is dying from the genetic disease inherited from his biological father and used to be bullied because of a physical deformity associated with said disease, in addition to seeing his (step) father unhappy in his marriage to his mother, so the Snowman's choice of victims - married women who cuckolded their husbands - actually makes sense there. In the movie, he is shown to target one cuckolding woman, one divorcee, one cheater and one woman who's had an abortion - when his mother was ''neither'', she was TheMistress. Also, in the film it's mentioned that he resented her for "abandoning" him by committing suicide (in the novel he [[SelfMadeOrphan killed her himself]]), so his crusade which ''creates'' the MissingMom situation for children of the victims (if they have children at all, as Sylvia Ottersen doesn't in the movie) seems fueled more on InsaneTrollLogic than anything else.]]

* AdaptedOut: Sylvia Ottersen and her husband's twin children don't appear here.

* AdaptationalUgliness: Arve Stop, Idar Vetlesen and Mathias are described as exceptionally handsome in the book, which they aren't in the movie (though in the last case it's a mild case and mostly because of AgeLift).

** Also, in the novel [[spoiler:the killer is dying from the genetical disease inherited from his biological father and used to be bullied because of a physical deformity associated with said disease, in addition to seeing his (step) father unhappy in his marriage to his mother. So the Snowman's choice of victims - married women who cuckolded their husbands - actually makes sense there. In the movie, he is shown to target one cuckolding woman, one divorcee, one cheater and one woman who's had an abortion - when his mother was ''neither'', she was TheMistress. Also it's mentioned that he resented her for "abandoning" him by committing suicide (in the novel he [[SelfMadeOrphan killed her himself]]. So his crusade which ''creates'' the MissingMom situation for children of the victims (if they have children at all, as Sylvia Ottersen doesn't in the movie) seems fueled more on InsaneTrollLogic than anything else.]]
* AdaptedOut: Sylvia and her husband's twin children don't appear here.

* DeathByAdaptation: [[spoiler: Katrine Bratt survives the novel but is murdered in the movie. The killer also isn't killed in the book, which is a plot point as he was SecretlyDying and ''wanted'' to be killed. He also plays a small role in the next book]].

* AdaptationInducedPlotHole: In the novel, [[spoiler: Mathias' mother willingly had an affair with his real father and he found out while standing atop a snowman to peek into their bedroom, which led him to believe that women who had affairs with other men were cold-hearted, much like snowmen, explaining his reasoning for building snowmen.]] Here, [[spoiler: since his father was abusive toward both his mother and himself and his mother committed suicide rather than him killing her himself, his reasoning for building snowmen to mark the locations of his murders doesn't make any sense.]]

* DeathByAdaptation: [[spoiler: Katrine Bratt survives the novel but is murdered in the movie]].

* AdaptationInducedPlotHole: In the novel, [[spoiler: Mathias' mother willingly had an affair with his real father and he found out while standing atop a snowman to peek into their bedroom, which led him to believe that women who had affairs with other men were cold-hearted, much like snow, explaining his reasoning for building snowmen.]] Here, [[spoiler: since his father was abusive toward both his mother and himself and his mother committed suicide rather than him killing her himself, his reasoning for building snowmen to mark the locations of his murders doesn't make any sense.]]

* AdaptationalAngstUpgrade: Zig-zagged with [[spoiler: the killer, a.k.a. Mathias]]. In the novel, [[spoiler: he was mocked by other children for lacking nipples due to a genetic defect, and when he found out that his mother was having an affair with his real father (who also lacked nipples), he decided that he wanted to die and [[TakingYouWithMe take his mother with him]]]], but here, [[spoiler: his mother committed suicide and he gained an [[AbusiveParents abusive father]], as noted above]].

* AdaptationalHeroism:
** A mild case: unlike in the novel, [[spoiler:Mathias didn't kill his mother, and actively tried to save her from drowning herself in a lake.]]
** While Gert Rafto is still a mess here, his abusive tendencies towards his wife and daughter are not mentioned.

''The Snowman'' is a crime {{horror}}/{{thriller}} film directed by Creator/TomasAlfredson. It is an [[TheFilmOfTheBook adaptation]] of the ''Literature/HarryHole'' novel of the same name by Jo Nesbø, and it stars Creator/MichaelFassbender, Creator/RebeccaFerguson, Creator/JKSimmons, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Creator/ValKilmer.

* CreatorCameo: Jo Nesbø [[http://www.vg.no/rampelys/film/jo-nesboe/jo-nesboe-har-faatt-rolle-i-hollywood-filmen-snoemannen/a/23667487/ appears briefly in the film]].

** While Dr. Idar Vetlesen was hardly a saint in the novel, here he [[spoiler:pimps out young women to Arve Støp]].
** Similarly, Arve Støp [[spoiler:didn't get Vetlesen to pimp out young women to him]] in the novel.

* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Arve Støp is a succesful Norweigan tycoon who is campaigning for Oslo to hold the World Cup. He also screwed one of his old business partners out of their company, had an affair with the guy's wife, and is a serial womaniser who lets an abortionist colleague pimp out young women to him.

* AbusiveParents: [[spoiler: The killer is shown to have a DirtyCop for a father who had him out of wedlock and hid both the boy and his mother in an out-of-the-way farmhouse, periodically showing up to test the boy's intelligence and beating the mother if he answered questions wrong in front of him before raping her. He seemingly abandons his son to an orphanage after the mother commits suicide and he was ready to abandon them both after she threatened to tell his wife about the whole thing]].
* AdaptationalAngstUpgrade: Zig-zagged with [[spoiler: the killer]]. In the novel, [[spoiler: he was mocked by other children for lacking nipples due to a genetic defect, and when he found out that his mother was having an affair with his real father, he decided to kill her while she was driving]], but here, [[spoiler: his mother committed suicide and he gained an [[AbusiveParents abusive father]], as noted above.]]

* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Arve Støp is a succesful Norweigan tycoon who is campaigning for Oslo to hold the World Cup. He also screwed one of his old business partners out of their company, had an affair with the guys wife, and is a serial womaniser who lets an abortionist colleague pimp out young women to him.

* EvilAllAlong: [[spoiler: Mathias; Arve Støp is less evil, but is introduced as less shady than he really is]]
* FrameUp: The killer pulls off two, though ironically the first was an accident as the body was not discovered until after the killers CallingCard had melted away and the local police were just incompetent.
* ItsPersonal: Declared verbatim by Harry when it appears that the killer has taken Katrine and left a note saying "I'm doing this for you Harry". [[spoiler: It's eventually shown that the killer is Mattias, the current boyfriend of his old girlfriend Rackel, and Harry already knows him, and in the end he threatens her and her son by another man]].

* OffWithHisHead: One victim is found with her head missing [[spoiler: and it's later shown he put it on a snowman]], and another has had their head replaced with a snowman's head [[spoiler: though it melted before the body was found]]. Two of the victims [[spoiler: had their head blown off by a shotgun in kills made to look like suicides]]. Near the end, [[spoiler: he nearly does this to Rackel as well before Harry stops him]].

* YourCheatingHeart: [[spoiler: The victims of the Snowman all either had affairs or engaged in casual sex, discounting the ones who are killed mostly because they either [[HeKnowsTooMuch know too much]] or who the killer frames to cover his tracks.]] Harry himself almost cheats with Rakel on her new boyfriend Mattias [[spoiler: which nearly gets both them and her son killed since he was the murderer all along]].