The Snowman

(Cert 15, 109 mins)

Not to be confused with the charming animated film based on Raymond Briggs’ picture book, director Tomas Alfredson’s eagerly-anticipated picture is a gritty detective thriller adapted from the novel of the same title by Jo Nesbo.

It is the seventh book in the series featuring Norwegian detective Harry Hole but the first to be committed to film.

Harry (Michael Fassbender) investigates the disappearance of a young woman during the first snowfall of winter. Curiously, he discovers a creepy snowman close to the scene. He uncovers a series of earlier unsolved cases involving married mothers, who vanished or were murdered, at the same time of year – when the first snow settled.

Harry surmises with a chill that his perpetrator is one of Norway’s first serial killers. However, the diabolical mastermind is one step ahead of Harry and his dedicated team. ★★★★★★★★★★