THE RISE OF NORDIC NOIR
Thriller The Snowman, which is based off the globally best-selling novel from Jo Nesbø and stars Michael Fassbender as Harry Hole, is hitting UK cinemas on the rather apt date Friday 13th. Inspired by the film’s release and setting, we’re looking back at some of the great Nordic noir that’previously hit our screens.
The Snowman is OUT NOW in UK cinemas
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Adapted from the trilogy of novels ‘The Millennium Trilogy’, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo was a hard hitting and dark release like no cinema goer had experienced previously. Following story of Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), a young computer hacker, and Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig), a journalist, they both search for a secret known by governments and cybercriminals all over the world and face the threat of being killed on their quest to find out the secret.
The Keeper of Lost Causes (2013)
Based on the Department Q book series, The Keeper of Lost Causes is the first big-screen adaptation of the said novel series. It follows detectives on a five-year hunt for a taunting psychopath, causing havoc in his trail. On their agenda is the case of a missing woman, whom they believe the psychopath to be the culprit. On their quest to solve the mystery, they are also exposed to the abuses, violence and atrocities that lie beneath the surface of Denmark.
Modus (since 2015)
Set in Sweden, a psychologist finds herself and her autistic daughter in the midst of an investigation of several violent deaths. A police force detective is also dispatched to investigate a horrifying Christmas Eve murder. As more deaths ensue, a pattern is noticed…
The Snowman
When there is a rise of disappearing women in Oslo, detective Harry Hole (Fassbender) finds himself in the middle of a spider’s web built by a mysterious character, only known as ‘the snowman killer’. When things begin to get personal, Harry must put all of his differences and personal issues aside to crack the case. Tensions get high within the Oslo police department as they are left with nothing but grizzly calling cards – sinister looking snowmen who sometimes have the decapitated heads of victims in place.
Insomnia (1997)
Insomnia is set in Norway and features Detectives Erik and Jonas, who are called to investigate a murder; the suspect escapes and Jonas mistakenly shoots Eric, mistaking him for the suspect. After blaming Erik’s murder on the same suspect, we follow Jonas as he continues to search for the suspect and who soon begins to be plagued with guilt and insomnia, driving him to insanity.
The Hypnotist (2012)
Created by the Swedish filmmaker who also shot Chocolat, The Hypnotist is based on Alexander Ahndoril’s best-seller. A family is violently murdered and the only survivor is the family’s son. A hypnotist is hired to extract sufficient information about the event from the boy and discovers that he may have been part of the crime. The story follows the hypnotist’s further investigation into the crime and perpetrator.
The Snowman is OUT NOW in UK cinemas