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 …
Quantum of Solace
When a franchise becomes over-extended, it becomes a parody of itself. It reflects incredibly poorly upon Quantum of Solace that the most memorable moment of the film is a reference to an earlier James Bond story: like Auric Goldfinger covered Jill Masterson in gold, Dominic Greene covered another one of Bond’s failed loves with crude. (Similar to how Halle Barry’s emergence from the ocean is more a nod to Ursula Andress and Doctor No than a part of Die Another Day.) The visual is striking because of the earlier scene that it parodies; Agent Fields appeared far too briefly for …
Four Bond Films
I decided to compare a few of the early James Bond stories that I have been reading and watching lately. Casino Royale Book (1953): This is an excellent detective novel. Ian Fleming also showcases his writing for the first time and acquits himself admirably. The style is concise and memorable; there are some nods to the dialogue in the most recent film adaptation. Unlike the action-themed film, the novel focuses more on the Baccarat game between James Bond and Le Chiffre (it’s disappointing that the film chose to focus the gambling around Texas Hold-em rather than Bond’s traditional game of …