Like millions of people around the world, I've read the late Stieg Larsson's entire "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" trilogy. I've also seen the Swedish version of the first book in the series, and found it to be one of the best movie adaptations of a book I had ever seen. The makers of that film stripped away the overabundant details and extraneous information that likely would have been edited out of the book had Larsson lived, streamlining the narrative without ever being unfaithful to the book.
So when word came that a big-budget English- language version of "Tattoo" had been greenlit, there were many questions and much hand-wringing. Why did we need a new film when the Swedish one worked just fine (and made a star out of previously unknown Swedish actress Noomi Rapace). What could a new adaptation bring to the story that the original couldn't? Why bother?
The short answer, of course, is money. An English-language version of the biggest literary phenomenon in recent memory seemed like a pretty good bet, since just the idea of subtitles can give many American moviegoers a case of hives. But what sets this "Tattoo" apart from the Swedish one is the director. Under the sharp eye and steady hand of auteur David Fincher (Se7en, Zodiac) this "Tattoo" has a style and confidence all its own. It also moves like a freight train, its breathless pace leaving you wrung out and asking for more.
The plot is pretty well known by now. Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig, Casino Royale), a Stockholm-based reporter for a left-leaning investigative magazine, has just lost a huge libel case when he is contacted by wealthy industrialist Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer, The Insider) to come to his massive house in northern Sweden. Vanger wants Blomkvist to find out what happened to his beloved niece Harriet, who disappeared during a family gathering in 1966. Vanger believes Harriet was killed but can't tease out the mystery. He thinks Blomkvist can, since he's got fresh eyes and no axe to grind.
Meanwhile back in Stockholm, Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara, The Social Network) is a computer hacker who put together the file on Blomkvist that makes Vanger decide he is the right man for the job. Salander is also a punked out, pierced and tattooed young woman with a nasty personal history and a penchant for violence. When she is raped by her state-appointed guardian, she turns the tables on him, tasing him in his apartment and crudely tattooing his chest with a message that he's a rapist pig. Did I say she had a penchant for violence?
Mara is fearless as Lisbeth. She's as hard edged as Noomi Rapace in the Swedish film, but she brings an extra vulnerability to the part. As strong-willed as Lisbeth is, Mara lets us see the pain behind her eyes, making her more sympathetic and easier to root for. It's an astonishing performance.
Blomkvist's investigation leads him to all sorts of interesting suspects, including Harriet's brother Martin (Stellan Skarsgard, Ronin) and her cousin Anita (Joely Richardson, Event Horizon) who now lives in London. But when he hits a wall he hires Lisbeth to help him -- a decision that digs up plenty of new information but also puts their lives in mortal danger.
I have friends who've seen the Swedish version but dismissed this one because they feel they've "already seen the movie." But that is a completely bogus argument. While the Swedish version is certainly competent, what Fincher does with the same story is a revelation. His fluid camera and sharp editing keep you on edge as the movie seamlessly cuts back and forth between the Blomkvist and Salander stories. You just know you're in the hands of a master of style. And he offers little stylistic flourishes that elevate the material to something extraordinary. (Fincher's choice to play Enya over one torture scene is a piece of genius.) There's also a tactile sensation the movie gives off; Jeff Cronenweth's cinematography captures the coldness of northern Sweden so well you'll shiver.
"The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" is a cold, hard, nasty piece of work from one of our greatest filmmakers. There's word Fincher may not return to bring "The Girl Who Played With Fire" to the screen, but that would be a shame. His sensibility is perfect for the dark corners of the soul Larsson's stories like to probe.
**** (Out of 4)
Great review. I'm glad being one of the friends who said "I've already seen the movie" that you convinced me to see it. Phenomenal adaption to a phenomenal book.
Posted by: Regina | 01/19/2012 at 08:03 PM
tattoos are cool
Posted by: girl tattoos | 06/05/2012 at 11:32 AM