The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
3/4
Starring: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer, Steven Berkoff, Stellan Skarsgaard, Yorik von Wageningen, Joely Richardson, Goran Visnjic
Rated R for Brutal Violent Content including Rape and Torture, Strong Sexuality, Graphic Nudity, and Language
I remember taking a road trip and seeing a copy of Stieg Larsson's book "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" in a gas station. Having heard about the movie, I decided to buy a copy. I didn't put it down for the rest of the trip. It was propulsive reading; a great mystery with a fascinating character. The Swedish film version, starring Noomi Rapace and Michael Nyqvist, was an arthouse hit (which I found to be overrated) and this is the inevitable American remake.
It is probably unfair to judge which version is better. Rather, they are really two sides of the same coin, and together, they form a complete version of the same story. The Swedish version is all-story; character development is minimal, and it gives each twist of the plot its due. The American version is, surprisingly, more character-based. The background details of each character are explored and more time is spent developing the two leads, Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander. Unfortunately, due to odd camera angles and time constraints, the plot is likely to lose viewers who haven't seen the Swedish film or read the book.
Journalist Mikael Blomkvist has come out on the losing end after waging war with powerful businessman Hans Erik Wennerstrom (Ulf Friberg). Now broke with his reputation in tatters, Blomkvist is contacted by a man named Dirk Frode (Berkoff), whose employed by another powerful businessman, Henrik Vanger (Plummer). Vanger has been obsessing over the murder of his niece, Harriet, which occurred 40 years ago, and he wants a new set of eyes to look over the evidence. In exchange, he will pay Blomqvist and hand over Wennerstrom on a silver platter. To find the truth, Blomkvist gets the assistance of Lisbeth Salander, a brilliant hacker whose personality is, putting it very mildly, unusual.
The acting is top notch. Daniel Craig is his usual reliable self, although he's really just playing the straight man. The real star of the show is Rooney Mara. No offense to Noomi Rapace, who is a good actress, but Mara is a better Lisbeth Salander. Rapace was too expressive, which made Lisbeth into a regular girl who dressed weird. The same cannot be said about Mara's interpretation of the character. Skeletal and gaunt with a blank stare, Mara's Lisbeth is truly foreign, and when she fights, we can immediately tell that she's dangerous. Solid supporting performances are provided by the rest of the cast, and it's always nice to see Goran Visnjic in a movie since he gets entirely too few roles these days.
Unfortunately, the direction is less than sure. David Fincher, usually an impeccable and deliberate filmmaker, sometimes shows us things that the characters see but we don't, and the story is unevenly developed. What may have been his third shot at the Best Director Oscar may be the worst directing job he's given in a while.
Fincher promised he'd make this film a hard R (considering the source material, it's hard to believe that it could be anything but). and he delivered. This film is at times unflinchingly brutal, and God knows how they avoided an NC-17 rating. Be warned about venturing into this movie.
Then again, if you have an interest in seeing it, chances are you know what you're in for.
Starring: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer, Steven Berkoff, Stellan Skarsgaard, Yorik von Wageningen, Joely Richardson, Goran Visnjic
Rated R for Brutal Violent Content including Rape and Torture, Strong Sexuality, Graphic Nudity, and Language
I remember taking a road trip and seeing a copy of Stieg Larsson's book "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" in a gas station. Having heard about the movie, I decided to buy a copy. I didn't put it down for the rest of the trip. It was propulsive reading; a great mystery with a fascinating character. The Swedish film version, starring Noomi Rapace and Michael Nyqvist, was an arthouse hit (which I found to be overrated) and this is the inevitable American remake.
It is probably unfair to judge which version is better. Rather, they are really two sides of the same coin, and together, they form a complete version of the same story. The Swedish version is all-story; character development is minimal, and it gives each twist of the plot its due. The American version is, surprisingly, more character-based. The background details of each character are explored and more time is spent developing the two leads, Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander. Unfortunately, due to odd camera angles and time constraints, the plot is likely to lose viewers who haven't seen the Swedish film or read the book.
Journalist Mikael Blomkvist has come out on the losing end after waging war with powerful businessman Hans Erik Wennerstrom (Ulf Friberg). Now broke with his reputation in tatters, Blomkvist is contacted by a man named Dirk Frode (Berkoff), whose employed by another powerful businessman, Henrik Vanger (Plummer). Vanger has been obsessing over the murder of his niece, Harriet, which occurred 40 years ago, and he wants a new set of eyes to look over the evidence. In exchange, he will pay Blomqvist and hand over Wennerstrom on a silver platter. To find the truth, Blomkvist gets the assistance of Lisbeth Salander, a brilliant hacker whose personality is, putting it very mildly, unusual.
The acting is top notch. Daniel Craig is his usual reliable self, although he's really just playing the straight man. The real star of the show is Rooney Mara. No offense to Noomi Rapace, who is a good actress, but Mara is a better Lisbeth Salander. Rapace was too expressive, which made Lisbeth into a regular girl who dressed weird. The same cannot be said about Mara's interpretation of the character. Skeletal and gaunt with a blank stare, Mara's Lisbeth is truly foreign, and when she fights, we can immediately tell that she's dangerous. Solid supporting performances are provided by the rest of the cast, and it's always nice to see Goran Visnjic in a movie since he gets entirely too few roles these days.
Unfortunately, the direction is less than sure. David Fincher, usually an impeccable and deliberate filmmaker, sometimes shows us things that the characters see but we don't, and the story is unevenly developed. What may have been his third shot at the Best Director Oscar may be the worst directing job he's given in a while.
Fincher promised he'd make this film a hard R (considering the source material, it's hard to believe that it could be anything but). and he delivered. This film is at times unflinchingly brutal, and God knows how they avoided an NC-17 rating. Be warned about venturing into this movie.
Then again, if you have an interest in seeing it, chances are you know what you're in for.
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