Verblendung

Greetings again from the darkness. The character of Lisbeth Salander absolutely fascinates me. That's true whether we are discussing Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy novels, the Swedish film versions, or this latest film version from director David Fincher and a screenplay from Steve Zaillian. It's also true whether Lisbeth is played on screen by Noomi Rapace (Swedish films) or Rooney Mara. She is a brilliant character hiding in plain sight from a world that has fiercely mistreated her, and now misjudges and underestimates her. She is the oddest heroine I can recall ... and I can't get enough of her.

Let's start with the source material. Stieg Larsson's books are far from perfect, but addictive just the same. The first book (on which this film is based) is, at its core, a simple who-dunnit presented in a manner that is claustrophobic, paranoid and eerie. Moving on to this particular film, we find the director and screenplay holding the basic tone while making a few changes ... some minor, others more substantial. These changes may irk those fans who are a bit more loyal to the books, but Fincher surely wanted to offer more than a simple re-telling of the story.

Daniel Craig plays Mikael Blomkvist, the journalist hired to solve the 40 year old mystery of the disappearance/murder of Harriet Vanger, niece to Swedish millionaire Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer). To research, Blomkvist must dig into the Vanger's rotten family tree of Nazis, anti-Semites, sexual predators, anti-social fanatics, and a few just plain loony birds. You can imagine how excited this rich and once powerful family is to have someone uncovering long buried secrets. Circumstances allow for Lisbeth to assist Blomkvist in researching this.

Unlike many mysteries where assembling the clues is the most fun, the real heart of this story is the odd, somewhat uncomfortable developing relationship between Blomkvist and Lisbeth. This latest version allows this to develop relatively smoothly, but it nonetheless rattles our senses. We see the subtle changes in Lisbeth as she slowly opens up to the idea of a real friendship based on trust. Fear not mystery fans, the Vanger clan still provides more than enough juice to keep any film sleuth happy.

It's truly impossible to avoid comparisons between the two movie versions and the respective casts. It's quite obvious Mr. Fincher was working with a substantially greater budget than Niels Arden Opler had for the first Swedish film. While they are both enthralling, I actually lean a bit towards the rawer original. That takes nothing away from this latest version. Same with Noomi Rapace vs. Rooney Mara. Ms. Mara is excellent in her performance and I was fully satisfied, but Ms. Rapace brought a rougher edge to the role ... one that made it even tougher to crack that shell. The biggest difference in the casts is Daniel Craig against Michael Nyqvist. Mr. Craig is just a bit too cool for the role, while Nyqvist captured the insecurity and vulnerability that Larsson wrote about.

All of that is nit-picking. Both film versions are sterling entertainment and hopefully the Fincher version will bring the story to a much wider audience. I would encourage those that are interested to check out the Swedish version, as well as the Larsson books. Maybe that will explain my fascination with this creature known as Lisbeth Salander.

After the announcement that The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was getting an English-language film treatment, I decided that the hype had built up to a point where I just had to read the source material for myself. Though it is not without flaws, Dragon Tattoo is an excellent story with the important mission of raising awareness concerning violence against women. Mere days after finishing the book I watched the Swedish film. The hype train had me excited for an outstanding thriller.

The hype train let me down.

I was left cold and somewhat irritated by the Swedish adaptation. A ton of important plot elements were left out, some were inexplicably added (Blomkvist's memories of the island became far too important and contrived), and Rapace felt all wrong as Lisbeth. She was brilliant and violent, but lacked the quiet pensiveness of the original character. She did not come off as autistic and emotionally disturbed, just bratty and rude. Worst of all, I was constantly confused by the extremely rushed, strange new take on the story.

As a lover of foreign films, I normally grind my teeth when I hear that America is developing a remake. However, I found myself desperate for this one. I needed a movie that actually gave me the experience of reading the book for the first time, that made me care for Lisbeth and that truly disturbed me. Thankfully, the American adaptation (not a remake) delivered exactly what I was looking for. Those who say this version is unnecessary or a rehash must have seen a very different Swedish Girl with the Dragon Tattoo than I saw. The American take is jam-packed with scenes that were either skimmed or completely left out of the Swedish version. Yet, despite being more robust, the English- language Dragon Tattoo is incredibly paced, feeling less rushed yet hitting all the important plot points. The characters have time to develop and grow on you, the clue-finding makes more sense, and the killer is more horrifying. Screenwriter Zaillian knows exactly what to leave out and what to change (though the ending, which mirrors the book's ending, could have been arranged better). Craig, Mara, and even Plummer are spot-on in their roles and feel more fleshed-out as characters. Mara, in particular, inhabits Larsson's Lisbeth in a way Rapace did not. She captures Lisbeth's silent, borderline-autistic nature perfectly. Her fragile body and alien appearance even match the book's description. She allows herself to be vulnerable, but clearly regrets it over time. It's a captivating performance.

If someone were to ask me, personally, which version to see, I would have to say without hesitation that this is the rare occasion where the American adaptation is superior. I did not think it was possible to stay so true to the story under three hours.

I have read all three of Stieg Larsson's books and seen the Swedish movies. The Swedish version of The girl with the dragon tattoo(Män som hatar kvinnor) was very good but I feel it is somewhat overrated. Nothing particularly weak about it but still not as good as some claim. When word came about that David Fincher would direct the new one I was just overjoyed. My maybe favourite director working right now filming one of the best books I had read in years. With thrillers like Se7en and Zodiac to his credit he was the perfect choice. And he doesn't disappoint.

The big question for many have been will Rooney Mara live up to Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth Salander? The answer is She does! Who is better is difficult to say because they actually play the character quite different. Noomi is older and seems more secure and determined character while Mara feels more fragile and emotional. I feel Mara is more like how Lisbeth is described in the book. I like this movie better but regarding Lisbeth Salander it's a draw. Daniel Craig is great as Blomkvist, and it's good that even if he is a big star(James Bond) he plays the role really down to earth, the person the character should be. It is and should be Salander who is the main one and he lets Mara be the star. One actor who really surpasses his predecessor is Stellan Skarsgård. Considering his character has such a big role this is a big plus for the American version. Christopher Plummer should also be mentioned. As I'm now on the actors I should also mention the relation between Salander and Blomkvist. Craig and Mara are brilliant at creating chemistry. Not only does one focus on the mystery but at the end maybe even more about them. Do they really speak with a Swedish accent? Some of them yes and I admit it felt a bit strange a first but one gets used to it like with most other things so some time later in the movie I didn't mind anymore.

Steven Zaillian deserves praise for the script. The original movie, even though it was not much shorter the plot at times felt rushed. Especially the ending where it went so quick and simplified. Zaillian succeeds in fitting the story without making it to fast or simple. Even if one hasn't read the book you can follow what is going on. Very impressive and perhaps what lifted this movie above the Swedish. So there are some changes but for me, unlike how some feel about adaptations, the book isn't something holy and changes don't have to be wrong. Stieg Larsson's novel was not without flaws and the changes they made make sense, necessary and some better. Fincher is a master of suspense and shows it again here. The atmosphere and tone of the settings fit the story perfect. The movie is brutal just like the book and also that is handled great. Neither reduced or overdone.

The music by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is as expected amazing. Almost as great as for The Social Network. I loved the opening credits set to the tones of the Immigrant Song cover. Some may feel it's a bit out of place but personally I loved it.

So are there any weak points in it? Well the last parts of the movie the story slows down somewhat but thats because Stieg Larsson's novel was like that and those parts are also needed for the continuing of the series. And even if I really like the Millennium trilogy, the story is not perfect not as complicated as some might expect. Doesn't mess with your head like Se7en.

If I'm to rank David Fincher's detective thrillers The girl with the dragon tattoo is below Se7en and Zodiac but it doesn't mean it is a weak movie, definitely not! I don't think I can find much they could have done better. The Swedish movie was good but this is much better. It lives up to my expectations as a fan of the book. Also works great as a thriller on it's own.

I liked both the Swedish version and the US version...I think both are great in their own right. Mara and Craig bring a very interesting chemistry to this version that I really enjoyed. The noir-esque feel of the film is really cool. The soundtrack is killer (Trent Reznor)! Worth a watch if you haven't seen it already

Unlike seemingly almost every reviewer here, I did not read the book nor did I see the original filmed version of this story. Even if I had, I still prefer, as always, to view/review this film as a unique, individual work of art and not compare it to other works of art.

So, to that end I found this film to be heavy on style and a bit light on substance. The score was solid and very effective. On the other hand, Rooney's character Lisbeth was for me not really a fully developed character. I bit more back story on her could have gone a long way I think to transforming her from a one dimensional person with lots of tattoos and piercings into a someone the viewer could take a greater interest in. Craig is fine and completely adequate. Despite some shortcomings i do think there is enough here to check out for those curious who have still not seen it.