I would love to know the percentage of viewers of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo who already read the Stieg Larsson novel. I bet it’s high. Real high. I bet it’s higher than those who attend The Lorax this upcoming March.
I read the book and saw the Swedish original. I think you have to give it up for a film that can remain entertaining even when you know every single thing that’s going to happen. Yes, it is a cash-in. The book is still a best seller. The Swedish movie version came out in 2009 and already generated two sequels. The star of the Swedish version (Noomi Rapace) has just begun her worldwide career. Read all of that critically and conclude there was a good reason to make this now. Go ahead, give it a whirl. Good luck.
But make a new Dragon they did anyway. With a real good choice in writer (Steven Zaillian) and a better choice in director (David Fincher), because you don’t want to chase this Dragon with a guy who can’t handle adult situations.
So what distinguishes this Dragon Tattoo from other versions? The leads, first off. Daniel Craig makes a far more memorable Mikael Bloomqvist than the previous iteration. And Rooney Mara is the very embodiment of Lisbeth Salander. It’s not that I didn’t like Noomi Rapace as the last Lisbeth; she was awfully good, but from what I can tell, Lisbeth Salander leapt off the pages in the persona of Rooney Mara. Also, this Dragon does an excellent job with the story dichotomy – it’s extremely important that the parallel and seemingly mismatched tales come together properly.
Oh yeah, some of you may not actually know the tale. *sigh* OK, Mikael Bloomqvist is a professional magazine editor who resigns after public disgrace. He is summoned to the backwoods of Sweden by Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer) to hunt for a girl dead since the 1960s. And Sweden has some serious back woods, especially in winter. The case is oddly sustained by an annual flower print souvenir from the killer. Capping the creepiness of that past thought is the idea that due to the unique geography of the crime scene, the killer is almost certainly a relative of his. And he and all his weird curmudgeonly relatives all live in a big circle on a remote Swedish island, as they have for decades.
Meanwhile, in another film, Lisbeth Salander is, simply put, an anomaly. She is that rare productive society member who has absolutely no interest in society itself. Lisbeth is waif-like, pierced, tattooed, hostile to convention and at the same time absolutely brilliant at research. She’s good at finding things out about people almost certainly because she detests them; her employer and Lisbeth have reached a working agreement based on her brilliance and no other factors. Otherwise, this sneering, aloof biker-chick probably wouldn’t have a home … anywhere. When her ward suffers a stroke, Lisbeth is given a new social handler and we are presented with one of the most horrible and yet most satisfying relationships in the cinematic year.
It’s important to know what you’re getting into here: the Lisbeth rape is very graphic and very painful. The awful part is she knows she’s come to a private home for humiliation. She thinks it will take the form of a forced blow job. When the aggressor flashes handcuffs, the scene turns. David Fincher does a very interesting thing here – he cuts away instantly to a closed door as if to say, “I’m not going to go there, you’ll have to imagine it.” I knew what was coming, and I was initially pleased not to have to witness it, but at the same time I protested, “If you don’t show what you need to, Lisbeth’s character development won’t follow a logical arc.” It’s awful when screenwriting necessarily battles aesthetics. And of course, this is David Fincher. Is this man who directed Se7en really gonna back down? No. He didn’t . He pauses at the closed doors and then lets us back in the room to see all of the ugliness. Turns out the door was just for the squeamish to leave the room. To be shown the door themselves.
Well, you can’t not stay for the rest if you’ve see that, which is good because Lisbeth’s response is among the most satisfying comebacks you’ll ever witness on film. And the entirety of this episode completely and necessarily foreshadows her working relationship with Mikael later in the film. If you can take the pain, this is a movie with great interaction, wonderful character development and a decent mystery to boot. Like I said, I knew the story and this had me riveted all the same.
Yes, I’ll chase this Dragon. Again and again and again. It’s strangely intoxicating.
Rated R, 158 Minutes
D: David Fincher
W: Steven Zaillian
Genre: Cash-in
Type of person most likely to enjoy this film: Fans of the novel
Type of person least likely to enjoy this film: Can you stomach graphic and intense rape?
