The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
(A- or 3.5/4 stars)
Last year's Swedish film 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' was a fine one, indeed. And yet, here's America's version, directed by David Fincher (Se7en, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Social Network). Was this remake necessary (cash grab, artistic decision)? Well, no. Good thing this version is as wonderful as the 1st one (with slight differences along the way). The story is as follows: Disgraced journalist Mikael Blomqvist (Daniel Craig) is brought to a snow-bound, isolated island community in the far north of Sweden to meet with retired millionaire Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer, fantastic). Henrik wants Mikael to re-open a cold case: the 40 yr. old disappearance & assumed murder of his 16 yr. old grand-niece, Harriet.
All signs indicate that she would never have fled on her own and, her killer is still out there. But Henrik believes that any suspect(s) come from his own small & highly dysfunctional family of weirdos, depressives, & Nazis {oh my}. After taking on the job, Mikael recruits an antisocial computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) to be his much-needed assistant. Lisbeth, a genius researcher, relishes the opportunity to solve this case. And she proves invaluable as Mikael's dissection of clues link Harriet's disappearance to a web of sexual corruption & a series of grotesque murders involving rape, incest, & ritualistic killings. But right as an intimate relationship develops btwn. Mikael & Lisbeth, the case cracks, & their lives fall in grave danger.
For over 2/3 of this 155 min. movie, I was entranced. And I was happy about this because I went into the film with low expectations. Why? Because 1) it seemed superfluous to have made this film so soon after the Swedish version. And 2) Last year, Icelandic actress Noomi Rapace knocked me out as Lisbeth; so I was getting irked about the buzz surrounding Rooney Mara. But yeah, this film soared past my low expectations. My main issue: once a BIG reveal occurs, a 20 min. anti-climactic subplot enters; and though it's competently handled, all it really did was make me antsy for a conclusion.
Credit must be given, however, to David Fincher for concocting a movie as well-made & intriguing as it IS; given the source material. Just like the Swedish version, this film sets an INCREDIBLE mood. I loved the cold, gloomy, remote setting. I loved all the small character details. Christopher Plummer got me alllll into the mystery of Harriet's disappearance. The intercutting of Mikael's slow-burn investigation with Lisbeth's heart-wrenching personal story (getting brutally raped by her detestable social worker ... a graphic scene, but also incredibly effective) is very involving. I could go on.
Though I prefer Noomi Rapace (from the 2010 film), I praise Rooney Mara for proving my instincts wrong & giving a great performance as the glum, anguished, emotionally stunted, waif-like researcher, Lisbeth Salander. The gait with which Lisbeth walks, the deadpan line deliveries, the piercings, the tattoos, the sullen facade ... Mara gets it all. And she's most impressive when she gets to let her suppressed rage out on her rapist with due retribution. She even makes Lisbeth sympathetic; as evidence in the final shot of the film; after the quasi-romantic relationship btwn. her & Mikael appears to be one-sided. To that, though the actors capture the essence of these characters, I wish they were as fleshed out as their counterparts in the Swedish film.
'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' is wonderfully bleak & shockingly visceral, with well-orchestrated anxiety & sinister tension in the script. Now, while this novel/film has received acclaim, there is some criticism that it comes in the form of "well, the story is little more than a convoluted Criminal Minds or Cold Case procedural". I can see those criticisms. However, the filmmakers do their best to make the story as kinetic as possible; and I love detective whodunit stories, anyway. As mentioned, that protracted 20 min. conclusion, detracts a bit from my overall experience. But I still highly commend the look, tone, & performances of 'TGwtDT'. And while I still question this version's reason for existence, I am definitely down for the sequels.
All signs indicate that she would never have fled on her own and, her killer is still out there. But Henrik believes that any suspect(s) come from his own small & highly dysfunctional family of weirdos, depressives, & Nazis {oh my}. After taking on the job, Mikael recruits an antisocial computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) to be his much-needed assistant. Lisbeth, a genius researcher, relishes the opportunity to solve this case. And she proves invaluable as Mikael's dissection of clues link Harriet's disappearance to a web of sexual corruption & a series of grotesque murders involving rape, incest, & ritualistic killings. But right as an intimate relationship develops btwn. Mikael & Lisbeth, the case cracks, & their lives fall in grave danger.
For over 2/3 of this 155 min. movie, I was entranced. And I was happy about this because I went into the film with low expectations. Why? Because 1) it seemed superfluous to have made this film so soon after the Swedish version. And 2) Last year, Icelandic actress Noomi Rapace knocked me out as Lisbeth; so I was getting irked about the buzz surrounding Rooney Mara. But yeah, this film soared past my low expectations. My main issue: once a BIG reveal occurs, a 20 min. anti-climactic subplot enters; and though it's competently handled, all it really did was make me antsy for a conclusion.
Credit must be given, however, to David Fincher for concocting a movie as well-made & intriguing as it IS; given the source material. Just like the Swedish version, this film sets an INCREDIBLE mood. I loved the cold, gloomy, remote setting. I loved all the small character details. Christopher Plummer got me alllll into the mystery of Harriet's disappearance. The intercutting of Mikael's slow-burn investigation with Lisbeth's heart-wrenching personal story (getting brutally raped by her detestable social worker ... a graphic scene, but also incredibly effective) is very involving. I could go on.
Though I prefer Noomi Rapace (from the 2010 film), I praise Rooney Mara for proving my instincts wrong & giving a great performance as the glum, anguished, emotionally stunted, waif-like researcher, Lisbeth Salander. The gait with which Lisbeth walks, the deadpan line deliveries, the piercings, the tattoos, the sullen facade ... Mara gets it all. And she's most impressive when she gets to let her suppressed rage out on her rapist with due retribution. She even makes Lisbeth sympathetic; as evidence in the final shot of the film; after the quasi-romantic relationship btwn. her & Mikael appears to be one-sided. To that, though the actors capture the essence of these characters, I wish they were as fleshed out as their counterparts in the Swedish film.
'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' is wonderfully bleak & shockingly visceral, with well-orchestrated anxiety & sinister tension in the script. Now, while this novel/film has received acclaim, there is some criticism that it comes in the form of "well, the story is little more than a convoluted Criminal Minds or Cold Case procedural". I can see those criticisms. However, the filmmakers do their best to make the story as kinetic as possible; and I love detective whodunit stories, anyway. As mentioned, that protracted 20 min. conclusion, detracts a bit from my overall experience. But I still highly commend the look, tone, & performances of 'TGwtDT'. And while I still question this version's reason for existence, I am definitely down for the sequels.