The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

[thoughtful_salt]

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Review

I've watched the original Swedish film, i've enjoyed the entire trilogy in book form, but it had never before struck me how strong a character Lisbeth Salander could be. Rooney Mara plays her so well, with such power and intensity, that I almost forgot Noomi Rapace's portrayal entirely. Noomi's performance was great, one of the best of the last decade, but the film around her didn't support her, at times it played like a cliff notes version of the books. Mara, on the other hand, has 157 minutes to become Lisbeth and not a second is wasted.
Perhaps I should start from the beginning. For anyone new to the series, the plot concerns a disgraced journalist, Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig), who is hired by an industrialist named Henrik Vanger (played by Christopher Plummer) to investigate his daughter Harriet's apparent murder four decades previous. He is briefed on the Vanger family and is introduced to the scummiest people he has ever known. Armed with the police reports and Henrik's investigations, he discovers a tangled web of murder which may have claimed Harriet, or not. Lisbeth is introduced to us dressed head to toe in punk/goth regalia briefing a Vanger confidante on Mikael's background and relationships. She is drawn into the Vanger mystery when Mikael requests her help sifting through the haze of a decades old mystery.
Mara's performance is key, she does not play Lisbeth as vulnerable and tormented as Noomi Rapace did, she plays her as a tornado of seething hatred towards mysoginist men. There is a key scene where she gets revenge on her guardian for raping her (in one of the most viscerally intense scenes I have ever seen, I noticed several women visibly recoil when watching the scene and some even had tears in their eyes), she towers over her guardian like an angel of death (black makeup covering her eyes) and dictates the terms of her guardianship from then on. There is fear in his eyes because he knows he is no match for this woman. I had several feelings while watching Mara play Lisbeth with a passion normally reserved for the big game of the Stanley Cup final, but not once did I doubt that she was born to play this role.
Of course, as I pointed out before, the original film suffered from a severe condensing of the plot and emotions, to the point where I could not get engaged by anything but Noomi Rapace's performance. This film has no such issues. Because I was overly familiar with the plot, I was free to examine the craft. I found a film with not a single moment that threw me out of the film, with a look and feel as cold as ice. The grey landscapes and towering houses on the Vanger estate evoke a sense of isolation, even when all of the houses are within a few feet of each other. Daniel Craig is great in the journalist role, he is more touching and vulnerable here than when he played James Bond. Roger Ebert stated that some of Bond carried over to this film, but I found no such thing. Above all else it becomes clear that Mikael is the “woman” in the sense that he is the one who is rescued, who is scared out of his mind and in a bad place altogether. Lisbeth turns out to be the one who overcomes all of the obstacles put before her. This reversal of the assumed roles indicates just how highly Steigg Larsson regarded his female characters when he wrote the Millenium Trilogy. All of the female characters in this film are strong and well acted, and they are a breath of fresh air in movie world dominated by macho men and vulnerable women.
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross return to score this film and their music constantly kept me slightly on edge, moving me towards the negative spaces which inhabit Lisbeth Salander's world. I did notice that one of the pieces was just “Abstract Sun” from the Social Network slowed down and minor keyed, but otherwise it captivates like few scores can.
I was captivated by this film, probably the best one released this year, and I have no doubt that it will captivate those who haven't read the books or seen the original Swedish films. For those who did see and read them, this film still has many rewards and is worth seeing again and again.
Score:5/5

[Hayden]

Read the book.

100/100 book.

One of my favourites Can't wait to see the movie..



but it's rated r

[Polythene Pam]

[Wombi]

Haha ^ so mean . I love it

[Jackwc]

Everyone who is old enough to watch R-rated movies go WHOOOOOP!

On the bright side, Hayden, living in great Canada as we do, you don't have very long until you can legally buy alcohol! Like these festive eggnog-flavoured vodka mudshakes I'm currently drinking! Mm-mm, holidays.

Jack has been paid a substantial amount of money to tell you all that he enjoys that smooth, smooth taste of Smirnoff Spiced Eggnog Mudshakes™ - perfect for the holidat season.
_________________
A dick that's bigger than the sun.

Music sucks. Check out my favourite movies, fam:
http://letterboxd.com/jackiegigantic/

[Applerill]

...and I guess this is when I point out how 3 of my top five favorite movies are rated R

American Beauty
Shawshank Redemption
Chasing Amy (Kevin Smith lolol)

Sorry Hayden, I couldn't help it. I wub using my Dad's Netflix account

On topic: Yeah, I plan on diving into the three-disc Trent Reznor soundtrack soon, and watch the movie as soon as I can.

[Hayden]

[Jackwc]

Hmm... well, actually, I used to watch quite a few R-rated movies in theatres when I was sixteen, which wasn't that long ago... do they actually, like, check IDs at movie theatres now?
_________________
A dick that's bigger than the sun.

Music sucks. Check out my favourite movies, fam:
http://letterboxd.com/jackiegigantic/

[Facetious]

[Hayden]