First Snow
Yari Film Group Releasing | Release Date: March 23, 2007 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
58
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 22 Critic Reviews
Positive:
14
Mixed:
7
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
First Snow is essentially a short story with a metaphysical twist, but Pearce puts his fears more up front than any actor I can think of. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterSheri Linden
The actors, all strong, give the lyrical but never artificial dialogue the ring of life. Pearce is riveting as a go-getter who finds himself trapped between a murky past and a future defined by ambition. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
Movies like First Snow rise or fall on characters and atmosphere, and Fergus gets them both. But though the story's resolution does have irony and even a certain power, it lacks the charge, the Serlingesque "gotcha," that it needs. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Knowledge is not always a good thing and observing how one individual handles this unusual fantasy-tinged situation provides enough compelling drama to make Mark Fergus' debut feature a source of suspense, intrigue, and philosophical musing. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
A haunting neo-noir about a man told by a palmist that his karma is about to run over his dogma. Read full review
75
Portland OregonianM. E. Russell
If you approach First Snow as a straight thriller, it's not terribly satisfying. Read full review
70
Film ThreatDon R. Lewis
First Snow is an interesting and entertaining film. It's suspenseful and kind of scary. Read full review
70
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
First Snow has a fine sense of place and a small but terrific turn by veteran actress Jackie Burroughs. Read full review
70
The New York TimesStephen Holden
A noirish thriller that revels in ominous visual moods, deepened by Cliff Martinez's spare, shivering guitar score, this heartland "Appointment in Samarra" is a mind-teaser that speaks the flat, evasive language of its seedy characters. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
I was beguiled by both the eerie moods and the striking compositions, which incorporate large stretches of empty space. Read full review
63
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Fergus' thriller benefits from Pearce's high-strung performance and the stark New Mexico landscapes, but the story is familiar and the pacing much too measured for a slight tale of ineluctable fate. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Kamal AL-Solaylee
First Snow is, above all else, one man's particular journey. Pearce is a valid and compelling guide but he can't carry the full load of the movie's excess baggage. For the movie to completely resonate it has to strike the spiritual-angst note through his performance. Pearce comes close but no ... well, you know. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
It's a slow, moderately involving descent into the inevitable, with Pearce gamely trying to figure what's going on. Better him than me. Read full review
63
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
The story falters only at the end, but it's the ride, not the destination, that you remember and savor the most. Read full review
50
VarietyRonnie Scheib
Engages but underwhelms. Read full review
50
Village VoiceJim Ridley
First-time director Fergus's film is more a moody, tedious anti-thriller about ineluctable fate. Read full review
50
New York PostLou Lumenick
It's déjà vu all over again for Aussie actor Guy Pearce, returning to motel rooms in the American Southwest to sort out metaphysical issues in the thriller First Snow, to somewhat less original effect than he did in "Memento." Read full review
50
Washington PostDesson Thomson
A movie that clearly aims to be a cool, picturesque modern film noir becomes another moody banality. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleRuthe Stein
A neo-noir thriller long on atmosphere and short on production values. Read full review
42
Seattle Post-IntelligencerPaula Nechak
It's the script -- by director Mark Fergus (who also wrote the adapted script for "Children of Men") and Hawk Ostby -- that lets everyone down. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
First Snow tries hard but lacks originality. Read full review
33
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
Pearce is usually dependable, but here, he's utterly unconvincing as a slick phony, and the film peddles a bogus bill of goods in kind. Read full review
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