With the eagerly-anticipated adaptation of Jo Nesbø’s best-selling thriller novel The Snowman hitting British cinemas this coming Friday (October 13), we’ve decided to delve a little into the question; who exactly is Harry Hole? For those who haven’t read Nesbø’s books, just a small slither of information has been given about the detective, played by Michael Fassbender in the big screen release. Finding himself in the midst of a serial killer’s game, he’ll have to challenge himself like never before if he’s to crack the case and stop the villain from taking the lives of more victims. Find out more about Harry below…
Michael Fassbender stars as Harry Hole in The Snowman
He Has A Complex Personality
Starring in a grand total of 11 Jo Nesbø books (so far!), Harry Hole is described as a chain smoker, manic depressive, anxiety-ridden binge drinker, renowned as a womaniser and paranoid drug taker. This doesn’t sound like the recipe for one of the most respected (begrudgingly so) detectives of the Oslo Police Department. While he may manage to be sober for a small and certain amount of time throughout the day, he possesses constant urges and often relapses. As is the case with many of the world’s leading fictional detectives, he has his vices and demons to battle.
He’s One Of The Best, But Also The Worst
Harry Hole is described as an enigma; he hates corruption but equally, he’s not the biggest fan of equality. He’s often hailed as one of the best and most talented officers in the Oslo Police Department thanks to his possession of high moral standards, a good sense of justice and his dedication to his job.
He is also however, undisciplined and troubled, operating on his own personal code a lot of the time and harbouring a general disregard for his superiors, authoritative figures and the instructions he gets from them.
Fortunately for him, he enjoys travelling and has been to many places across the world thanks to his work, to destinations such as Sydney, Bangkok, Hong Kong and, of course, the scene for this story, Oslo.
He Has A Complex Love Life
As we’ve already mentioned, Harry Hole is a womaniser, and so holds a very complex on/off relationship with a recurring character in Jo Nesbø’s novels known as Rakel Faulke. Described as his one and only love (if you don’t include his work), we’re not sure just yet if we’ll be seeing anything of Rakel in the upcoming movie release.
Tormented in the books by their relationship and the fact that she walks in and out of his life regularly, due to his addiction to alcohol, drink dependency and his workaholic tendencies, he has also developed a close connection and relationship with Rakel’s son Oleg (who sees Harry as a strong but flawed father figure!)
An Official Breakdown Of Harry Hole’s Interests (Thanks To http://jonesbo.com/harry-hole/character-profile/)
- When it comes to music, Harry loves everything from the Sex Pistols to Duke Ellington, and Neil Young to Slipknot. Whatever the genre, if he finds a groove he enjoys, he’s sold.
- In the world of film, his all-time favourite is noted as The Conversation by Coppola. He’s also one of very few people who consider Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers as a masterpiece, and Mel Gibson’s Braveheart as complete rubbish.
- Alcoholism is something that runs in Harry’s family. He personally started drinking heavily in his late teens, and has lived a life that has seen him try most types of drugs at least once. He sees all drugs as anaesthetics, and whilst he’s dry and sober most of the time, he’s frequently battling against a furious and constant urge to succumb to his addiction.
- Occasionally, he’ll enjoy a spot of cycling and pumping iron, because he likes the purifying feeling that the pain of working out gives him.
Check Out The Official Trailer And Synopsis For The Snowman Below
“When an elite crime squad’s lead detective (Fassbender) investigates the disappearance of a victim in the first snow of winter, he fears an elusive serial killer may be active again. With the help of a brilliant recruit (Rebecca Ferguson), the cop must connect decades-old cold cases to the brutal new one if he hopes to outwit this unthinkable evil before the next snowfall.”
Charlotte Gainsbourg, Chloë Sevigny, Val Kilmer and J. K. Simmons all also star in the film, with Tomas Alfredson serving as director.
The Snowman comes to British cinemas on Friday, October 13.
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