Remakes sometimes prove weak derivatives of the original film but The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo deserves to stand on equal footing as the Swedish original. The strengths of the original film – an enigmatic title character, dark themes and a cold setting which is not often portrayed on film – remain intact as do the weaknesses, such as the stilted plot and anti-climatic conclusion. The first chapter of the Millennium Trilogy is more suited to film, where it can be edited and altered to retain the audience’s interest, than a 631 page tome.
Many films follow Akira Kurosawa’s model of introducing the protagonist via a quick cameo that is unrelated to the main plot but The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo spends over an hour profiling Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander before bringing them together. When they finally appear on-screen, the chemistry is very compelling and drives the remainder of the film. A point forgotten in many films is that in order for the audience to care what happens to the characters, they must become emotionally invested in their welfare.
An unsolved murder is a universal story but the main characters add energy to make this film stand out.Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara appear in every scene, individually or together, and their performance motivates the audience to see the film through until the end. Mara’s Salander stands out from archetypical film characters because of her resilience and determination. Christopher Plummer is an important supporting actor, bringing miserable millionaire Henrik Vanger to life. The viewers want these people to do well but could care less about Stieg Larsson’s protracted commentary about Swedish society.
More than anything, director David Fincher has shown that he is the master of post-modern films filled with disaffected characters and despicable plot twists. Some directors would gloss over some of the violence in the film whereas others would devote undue attention the scenes hoping to shock but Fincher does neither. The brutality is as much a part of the story as it is daily life so it is profiled from afar, like the scene of rape that Lisbeth Salander films with a hidden camera. Fincher transports the audience to Hedeby Island in northern Sweden, using trailing shots to draw the view into the icy scenery. Fincher mixes the technology which permeates the storyline into the film without overwhelming the main point.
The score provided by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is chilling and suits a mystery than unravels slowly. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a mood more than anything else, from the opening sequence until the excessive denouement (which is required to tie up all the unnecessary loose ends that the author included). As governments become more and more dysfunctional, driven by self-interest rather than the common good, and the average person continues to be indifferent to others, the film will be a significant chronicle of modern life and what it has become. Hopefully, the sequels do not let down the audience as was the case for the Swedish trilogy. ***½