Thursday, December 22, 2011

Day 246 - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) directed by David Fincher




I read the book and saw the original Swedish movie so this is actually the third time around for me with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Fincher's version doesn't deviate too much from the book and original film, capturing the story's look and feel to a tee, perhaps even better so. It is a well made movie (as Fincher's films almost always are) and is a captivating thriller full of sex, violence and intrigue.

Incidentally I actually think the book is wildly overrated. The story is cool and all but it's pretty poorly written in my opinion (though it may have something to do with the English translation). There is also a problem with the pacing of the book which wavers from tedious to exhilarating and this was one of my complaints with the original Swedish movie as well. I don't remember that much about it but I remember not being all that pleased with it. But there is an undeniable appeal to the story that is worth watching (or reading) and that is in one of the most interesting and unique characters you'll ever see in Lisbeth Salander.

The story revolves around Mikael Blomkvist's investigation of a mysterious murder forty years ago. He is helped by the girl who investigated him for this very job, Lisbeth Salander, whose very presence is as captivating as the story itself. She is a girl who undoubtedly kicks ass. She is incredibly intelligent and strong willed, but also has a whole slew of problems. She is violent, socially awkward and is the very definition of "doesn't fit in." The film is as much about her than the actual case itself and, indeed, a lot of time is given to her own personal twisted story. What happens to her is awful, but I think her response would give any feminist reason to cheer; she is a true badass.

The whole appeal to the book, and ultimately this film, is in the character of Lisbeth so it is important to interpret her in a way that is both faithful to the book and appealing for the screen. When Rooney Mara first appears on screen she looks odd with her jet black hair and faint blonde eyebrows, the weird haircut, the piercings, the constant deadpan expression, but then again Lisbeth is supposed to look odd. Yet the more I got to see her on screen the more I realized this look works. You are drawn to her unique qualities rather than her beauty alone.

The story is dark and twisted and the look matches the feel. It sort of reminded me of Fincher's other killer thrillers Se7en (my all time favorite serial killer movie) and Zodiac. Even when making pedestrian genre pictures like Panic Room or horribly conceived films like The Game, Fincher always manages to make his films look as good as possible. The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo is a very well made movie but there are some weaknesses in the film that lies in the source material itself. Part of the appeal of the book is in the detailed investigation of the mystery. As we read along it feels like we're side by side with Mikael trying to solve the case. However the film doesn't necessarily capture this feeling. It's almost impossible to anyways without making this movie four hours long explaining every single detail verbatim. We see Mikael and Lisbeth trying to piece things together but they don't bother explaining things to the viewer. There are a myriad of characters and clues to sift through and the film sort of gives a perfunctory look at their thought process in the case. (At least this is what my sister, who's never read the book, complained about.) I also generally dislike stories with extended scenes after the climax. There is a separate side story that I didn't really care that much about to begin with (partly because the film itself sort of glosses over it) that takes an additional ten to fifteen minutes in an already lengthy movie. In the book, it feels even longer. Despite those minor complaints, I really enjoyed the film. It is a great thriller that is well made and obviously has the ever interesting Lisbeth Salander as its highlight.

Grade: B

1 comment:

  1. I am pissed. I wrote a long response to this but I guess I never hit send. Now it is lost. Dammit!

    ReplyDelete