The Snowman (2017): adapted from the Jo Nesbo novel by Peter Straughan, Hossein Amini, and Soren Sveistrup; directed by Tomas Alfreson; starring Michael Fassbender (Harry Hole), Rebecca Ferguson (Katrine Bratt), Charlotte Gainsbourg (Rakel), Jonas Karlsen (Mathias), Michael Yates (Oleg), J.K. Simmons (Arve Stop), and Val Kilmer (Rafto):
Or, How Not To Adapt A Best-Selling Thriller. There's a lot of talent to waste in this movie, from director Tomas Alfreson (the superb Let the Right One In) to Michael Fassbender, Rebecca Ferguson, and Charlotte Gainsbourg in the cast. They also waste a perfectly good Norwegian thriller in the Jo Nesbo novel.
One problem is that everyone is miscast. Everyone. Val Kilmer was so miscast that his perceived problems speaking after treatment for tongue cancer caused the producers to dub his lines in what seems like an homage to some SCTV parody of bad dubbing. So that's distracting, as is Val Kilmer's obvious poor health. Rebecca Ferguson does her best with an underwritten sidekick to Michael Fassbender's colossally miscast Harry Hole.
One can note the attention to detail of the movie in its use of the detective's name, 'Harry Hole.' In Norwegian, 'Hole' is pronounced 'Hou-lay.' But a lot of Norwegians speak English and read English, so the hilarious English pronunciation of Harry's last name is a recurring irritant to the detective. In the movie, though... in the movie they just use the English pronunciation. It's distractingly hilarious every goddam time!
At points the movie keeps too much of the plot apparatus of Nesbo's densely packed novel. At others, the changes made range from dubious to completely infuriating (the murder of a character who doesn't die in the novel is the most infuriating of these moments). Pretty much all the detective work of the novel has been expunged. Also, the snowmen the killer leaves as clues aren't that scary. Neither is the killer when he appears. Who is the killer? All I'll say is that the nationality of the person playing the character seems like some sort of accidental clue.
The producers have also added this whole sub-plot with the Oslo police getting new laptops because... um... is this an advertisement for computers? What a mess. Not recommended because it's not funny enough often enough to be Fun-Bad. Though the suspension of disbelief required to accept that Michael Fassbender is a weathered, exhausted, alcoholic cop on the brink of suicide really is quite gigantic! But hey, at least they filmed in and around Oslo, albeit with an almost-all-non-Scandanavian cast for the major characters. Almost!
Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018): based on the series created by Bruce Geller; written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie; starring Tom Cruise (Ethan Hunt), Henry Cavill (Walker), Ving Rhames (Luther), Simon Pegg (Benji), Rebecca Ferguson (Ilsa Faust), Sean Harris (Solomon Lane), Angela Bassett (CIA Director Sloan), Vanessa Kirby (White Widow), and Alec Baldwin (Hunley):
Enjoyable sixth installment in the Tom Cruise action series once again features a lot of action sequences that seem to involve some actual real-world stunt work. And Tom Cruise running!
Tom Cruise's personal writer-director Christopher (The Usual Suspects screenwriter) McQuarrie writes and directs this installment as he did the last. He's very good -- the action sequences and chase scenes are choreographed so that one can actually follow what's going on! And there's not too much quick editing during fight scenes! A three-person battle in a Kubrickian White washroom is especially fun and brutal. A skydiving sequence and a final battle in, around, under, and over helicopters are also really nice pieces of action film-making.
Fallout follows Rogue Nation (see below) in using one villain and one heroine from that film, along with returning players Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg as Tom Cruise's trusted tech support team. Jeremy Renner was apparently off filming the next Avengers movie. Thankfully, Rebecca Ferguson returns from Rogue Nation as the hyper-competent British Intelligence agent who's Cruise's equal in motorcycle riding and fisticuffs.
This Mission: Impossible is self-deprecating and light on its feet, with a recurring jocularity that's reminiscent of the Original Series Star Trek movies. A character even gets the McCoy shout-out line, "I'm a doctor not an electrician!"
The plot is pretty much the plot of every M:I movie. Evil terrorists want to nuke something. The Impossible Mission Force has been at least partially discredited (apparently the IMF is kinda sorta a CIA Joint). A certain amount of fun is had at the IMF's use of astonishingly effective masks since the days of the 1960's TV series ("The IMF is Hallowe'en" scoffs one character).
Henry Cavill and his mighty facial hair are also on-board as a CIA assassin assigned to monitor the actions of the IMF and bring an end to their shenanigans if need be. Cavill is much better as an occasionally threatening jerk than he is as Superman. Go figure.
Critics seem to be so tired this summer of super-heroes that Fallout has been getting reviews that are perhaps a bit too gushing. But it's an enjoyable ride, and certainly better than the last James Bond movie. Cruise is starting to show his age in his face, though. Just saying. Recommended.
Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015): based on the series created by Bruce Geller; written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie with Drew Pearce; starring Tom Cruise (Ethan Hunt), Jeremy Renner (Brandt), Ving Rhames (Luther), Simon Pegg (Benji), Rebecca Ferguson (Ilsa Faust), Sean Harris (Solomon Lane), and Alec Baldwin (Hunley): Fifth Mission: Impossible movie is solid, stream-lined entertainment. Adding Rebecca Ferguson to the recurring cast as a British Intelligence operative pays off big -- she's super, and a lot more interesting than the last dozen or so Bond girls, that's for sure.
Once again, Cruise's Ethan Hunt has been discredited and the IMF disbanded. It feels like this happens in every Mission: Impossible movie. I hope everyone still gets their pensions. Anyway, it's up to Cruise, tech-support Simon Pegg and Arby's spokeman Ving Rhames to save the day, perhaps with the help of Jeremy Renner, perhaps not. I think Jeremy Renner's character is the IMF's office manager but I'm not entirely sure. HR?
There are good action sequences here, along with one that becomes stupefyingly goofy by its end (it involves yet another insane computer room brought to you by the designers of the deathtrap engines in Galaxy Quest). A climactic chase around London, England is a bit too low-key for this franchise. The opening sequence involving Tom Cruise and a plane is terrific, though, as is an insane motorbike chase. Tom Cruise does some running too! Recommended.
