Snowman's Land (2010)

Very good dark comedy set in unpopulated portion of Germany (I believe) in winter, taking place mostly in a large empty hotel. The very stark winter works exceptionally well with the subject matter of this film, which is the story of how two bungling low-level German hit men spiral into a mess of trouble. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just say that the fairly original plot develops pretty slowly for most American tastes, although it had no problem keeping my attention, especially given its many unpredictable plot twists. If you have some patience and let the plot develop some momentum, I think you will find that the story becomes quite compelling. About the only major negative comment I can make about this film is that it is devoid of likable characters--if you truly need somebody to root for, there's nobody here, with the possible exception of the least stupid hit-man, who is the lead character, and who you are obviously supposed to find sympathetic (although I personally didn't find myself very invested in his fate either). Unlike after nearly every Hollywood blockbuster, I actually felt like I consumed something intellectually nutritious here, so, for that alone, it deserves a high rating.

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.

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.

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.