Released just in time to happily mesh with the American publishing advent of the last book in the Millennium trilogy by the late Stieg Larsson, this film adaptation of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" should provide admirers of Lisbeth Salander (hacker extraordinaire and victim of a renegade faction of the Swedish social system) with more than enough fan-tastic material to orbit them into "Girl" heaven.
Director Niels Arden Oplev depicts a Sweden icy in its efficiency; its cleanliness apparent in its scenes of smooth running undergrounds, bridges and autobahns. Beneath the crisp perfection of the surroundings, a misogynist undercurrent flares with the overt intensity of a laser as illustrated by the instantaneous hatred displayed by a pack of leather-clad youths subjugating a young woman to physical abuse in the subway, a guardian of mature years attacking his ward and a teenager subjected to repeated rape and beatings. Director of photography, Eric Kress, intentionally showcases gritty up close and personal full screen faces of the film's protagonists where large pores, warts and all contribute to the feeling of an underlying lack of social airbrushing in spite of all the repressed punctiliousness of both the Scandinavian urban and rural scenes.
The film's leads, most notably Noomi Rapace as the unconventional Salander and Michael Nyqvist as crusading journalist Mikael Blomkvist, more than adequately do justice to their fictitious counterparts. Rapace's waiflike appearance, economy of motion and smoldering glares bring the understandably sullen Lisbeth to toxic life. Nyqvist's vaguely Charleton Heston sensuality and amused sophistication fleshes out the likeable and idealistic Blomkvist but writers Rasmus Heisterberg and Nikolaj Arcel omit the character's casual sexual relationships with Millenium editor-in-chief Erika Berger, Cecelia Vanger and former babysitter Harriet. Grant it, the film, running over two and a half hours, has little time to waste on gratuitous sexual footage and exploring instead Blomkvist's woes as a convicted journalist and Salander's smoldering rage regarding her tempestuous and unforgivable childhood in a more than adequate adaptation of the novel's main plotline: the collaboration of the two to investigate and resolve a forty-year old murder on an isolated island populated by a wealthy industrial family. Kress again does a more than admirable job of interjecting B&W stills into key moments of revelation during the investigation. In particular is the forty year old photo of the missing/murdered Harriet, enigmatically staring out from her photo frame like an avenging Mona Lisa.
With never a slow moment, the film whets the appetite for more Salander victory moments--the over fifty art house audience with which I viewed this film was more than familiar with Lisbeth's special skills, dark moods and vindictive motivations; lively conversation before and after the film suggested a group already well-versed through the pages of the novels. Each time Salander displayed her ample hacking abilities, unselfconsciously took what she wanted and knowingly puzzled out a conundrum of Chinese proportions, the audience burst into appreciative laughter or applause, suggesting that the cult of the underdog as epitomized by the tattooed and pierced eighty-something pound, 24 year old Salander was alive and well admired by the sector of American senior citizens who frequent long foreign speaking films with English subtitles.
This reviewer's disappointment came only once with the film's exclusion of the last scene of the novel where Salander, in observing love interest Blomkvist with long-time lover Erika Berger, feels pangs of the ever familiar betrayal, jealousy and resentment of which she has grown accustomed. Seeing Salander's vulnerability in this context would have segued me right into the next film with no degree of difficulty. I also wondered if those who had not read the book prior to seeing the film had difficulty keeping all the plot threads tucked neatly into a well-organized ball.
Bottom line? Director Niels Arden Oplev's adaptation of journalist Stieg Larsson's 600+ page crime thriller, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" successfully entertains and captivates its audience with a faithful representation of the first in a series of three films based on the Millennium trilogy recounting the trials and tribulations of an abused and misunderstood girl with extraordinary powers of perception and technological skills. Cinematography by Eric Kress features a lovely and diffused snow-flaked Sweden compared to the harsh depravity of some of it inhabitants as seen baldly under the glare of too bright light that show every crease, wrinkle and enlarged pore. Noomi Rapace's performance as Lisbeth smarts with an indignation and nonconformity applauded by audiences of all ages and mindsets. A thoroughly entertaining and compelling storyline underlined by special skills makes this one a must see for all those who love the crime genre. Filmed in Swedish with English subtitles. Mature themes and graphic violence not intended for viewing by young children. Highly Recommended.
Diana Faillace Von Behren
"reneofc"
Get more detail about The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo [Blu-ray].
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