Film File - The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
by John Daly Updated: Wednesday, 21st December, 2011 4:54pm
Frozen planet...Rooney Mara (as Lisbeth Salander) and Daniel Craig (Mikael Blomqvist) join forces to solve a four decades-old murder mystery in the wintry surrounds of northern Sweden in 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo'.
If you happen to be one of the few people who hasn't yet read the book of the same name, you're in for a pleasant surprise.
Adapted from the mega-selling global phenomenon by Swedish writer Stieg Larsson, it has been the book that dominated beaches, airports and parks over the last two summers - and can still be seen in the hands of engrossed readers in many a train or bus.
Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig), a journalist with Millennium magazine, loses a libel case brought against him by corrupt Swedish industrialist Hans-Erik Wennerström (Ulf Friberg). As a result, the magazine is saddled with a large fine and Blomkvist is sentenced to a short prison term.
While serving his time, the unrepentant Blomkvist is approached by a lawyer for Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer), an ageing and wealthy industrialist living on a remote island, surrounded by his family. Vanger wants Blomkvist to unearth the truth behind the murder of his teenage niece, Harriet, 40 years before.
Though the body was never found, the elderly uncle remains convinced it was murder - possibly even by a member of his own family - and wants the case solved before he dies. Upon his release, Blomkvist is unaware he is being followed and photographed by Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), a computer hacker with a deeply troubled past whose personal vendettas become entangled with the journalist's investigation of the decades-old crime.
Eventually, combining their respective expertise, Blomkvist and Salander dig deeper behind the apparently civilised exterior of Vanger's family, only to discover sinister leads into a past that still holds deadly terror for those daring to disturb it.
The large ensemble cast also includes Robin Wright, Stellan Skarsgard, Geraldine James, Steven Berkoff, Joely Richardson, and even ER's Goran Visnjic.
The film is directed by David Fincher in his first outing since 2010's 'The Social Network', and adapted by the always reliable Stephen Zailian, who also scripted last month's sports winner 'Moneyball'.
'Dragon Tattoo' reunites much of Fincher's technical team from 'The Social Network', including Academy Award-winning editors Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall. Indeed, were this movie to be judged only on its technical merits, 'Dragon Tattoo' would already be a winner with its gorgeous use of colour by cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth, aided by a memorable score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
Fincher's adaptation stays very close to the original, except for a few minor substitutions and adjustments to enable an easier flow to the dark tale. The revelation of the film - as in the book - is the exploration of Salander's character and gruesome backstory.
As a damaged heroine every bit the equal of the men she pursues, Rooney Mara's take on this completely original Swedish avenger stands out as one of the most arresting female roles of the year. Knowing that the initial title for Larsson's book was 'Men Who Hate Women' may partially reveal some of the clever plot devices that made the book so widely read - but doesn't take away a whit from the impact of the movie.
Not a happy Christmas movie, but a very watchable one for the holidays nonetheless.
Post a Comment