First Snow 2006

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: [Pearce maintains] our interest even as the film, in its final half hour, seems to take a few wrong turns on the highway. Read more

Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune: A smart, tense modern film noir. Read more

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader: I was beguiled by both the eerie moods and the striking compositions, which incorporate large stretches of empty space. Read more

Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: The film has some of the bleak inevitability of Jim Jarmusch's Dead Man, but without the compelling characters and oddball twists. Read more

Nathan Rabin, AV Club: First Snow echoes Pearce's signature film Memento just closely enough to suffer by comparison. Read more

Kerry Lengel, Arizona Republic: Offers the satisfaction of a compelling story well told. Read more

Boston Globe: Through it all, Pearce reminds us how good he can be in these obsessive parts. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: 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. He keeps you poked and prodded with anxiety. Read more

Ella Taylor, L.A. Weekly: Held aloft by great acting and pretty good writing by director Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby. Read more

Bruce Newman, San Jose Mercury News: ... this one foresees a bleak future for anyone fool enough to look into it. Read more

Jack Mathews, New York Daily News: This is first-rate work from a talented actor who is fated to become a star. Read more

Lou Lumenick, New York Post: Covers very familiar indie territory, but debuting director Mark Fergus covers with style. Read more

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: The movie has a lovely paranoia about it that Pearce, as Memento and L.A. Confidential told us, is a master at conveying. Read more

Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: A haunting neo-noir about a man told by a palmist that his karma is about to run over his dogma. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: First Snow keeps audiences guessing - not necessarily about how the film will end but what path things will take to get there. Read more

Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle: [The filmmakers] pay homage to the genre without bringing much new to it. Read more

Erin Clements, Time Out: Like a first snow, Mark Fergus's psychological thriller is unpredictable, but doesn't quite stick. Read more

Ronnie Scheib, Variety: A moody psychological thriller about a salesman's paranoid attempts to circumvent his predicted demise, First Snow engages but underwhelms. Read more

Jim Ridley, Village Voice: Is it written somewhere that every indie quasi-noir must include a dripping faucet, ceiling fans, shadows of slatted blinds, and a traveling shot of highway lines? Read more

Desson Thomson, Washington Post: First Snow starts out with a compelling premise but melts all too quickly. Read more