Movie The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (18)
Jenness Mitchell • Published 26 Dec 2011 08:00
0 Comments
Share this
Stieg Larsson's best-selling Swedish novel has been given the Hollywood treatment courtesy of The Social Network's David Fincher.
Disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) is hired by millionaire Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer) to investigate the most detestable collection of people - his family. Under the pretence of writing a memoir, Vanger wants Blomkvist to solve the mystery of his great-niece Harriet who went missing 40 years previously. Along with hacker and research assistant Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), Blomkvist hopes to catch a killer of women.
TGWTDT is technically a terrible choice of movie to release at Christmas time. Most audiences would rather be served sentimental stories (New Years Eve) or action blockbusters (Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol) during the festive holiday instead of rape, torture and murder. With a $90 million budget, alongside marketing costs and purchasing rights to the Millennium franchise, don't be surprised if the film doesn't perform excellently at the Box Office to begin with. The 18-certificate will also affect takings, however, once the Academy Award nominations (and I am sure a few wins) pour in an extra surge of moviegoers will take to their cinema seat and make this the success it should be.
There are several differences between the book and Fincher's adaptation. Although clocking in at 158 minutes, pages obviously had to go. Blomkvist's liaison with Cecilia Vanger has been dropped and most notably the ending has changed. Before fans of Larsson's novel decide to boycott this reworking, the alteration is nothing to get too upset over and merely ties loose ends up quicker.
I love a good thriller and when it comes to violence I can stomach gratuitous beatings with the best of them. Bashed-in heads, stabbed eyes, slit throats - those I can handle - rape, not so much. The original title of the book translates into Men Who Hate Women. Those that have read it or seen the Swedish film will know that the rape of Salander is prerequisite to the second book (The Girl Who Played With Fire) and if Fincher had decided not to show her attack sympathy toward the character may have waned from those watching for the first time. Salander's rape, to me, is almost as horrific as Monica Bellucci's in Irréversible. It's not unwatchable, but graphic enough to make you feel uneasy.
As director of the likes of Panic Room, The Game, Zodiac, Seven and Fight Club, Fincher is no stranger to building tension dramatically. Within TGWTDT the camerawork is stunning in places and beautifully scored by Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) and Atticus Ross. Brilliantly, Enya's Orinoco Flow is used within a momentous scene - you'll either laugh or cry with fear.
While there are several named stars within the cast (Stellan Skarsgård, Robin Wright, Geraldine James, Joely Richardson, Christopher Plummer, Goran Vinjić, Julian Sands), Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara lead in the more important roles of Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander. Although I felt as if Craig should have had a slight Scandinavian lilt to his voice, I liked him as the weathered and rugged journalist. No one will compare his performance to that of Michael Nyqvist from the original Swedish trilogy, but Rooney Mara had massive shoes to fill following on from Noomi Rapace (recently seen in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and will lead Ridley Scott's Prometheus). When Mara's casting was announced I criticized the decision as I felt she wouldn't be able to deliver. I was wrong. Mara is dazzling and has done Rapace and Larsson's much-loved character proud with her transformation (hair, bleached eyebrows, piercings).
As one of the most anticipated films of 2011, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo does not disappoint and come award season it will rightfully pick up a handful of statues. Was the remake warranted? No. Was it worth it? Absolutely - for the opening title sequence alone.
Return to the main index, get more from this section or browse our What's On archives.
Alloa & Hillfoots Advertiser Poll
What game do you think was crucial to the Wasps winning the title?
