I'm not a literary cove, so I've never read Stieg Larsson's Millennium books. As someone who's slowly becoming a David Fincher fan, however, I thought I'd check out his adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I cannot compare to the books or the Swedish version, but on its own merits the film works just fine.
Corporate head Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer) enlists journalist Mikael Blomqvist (Daniel Craig), recently shamed from a libel suit, to resolve a family mystery. Henrik's daughter was murdered 40 years ago, and he can't let ago of the disappearance - not the least because the killer sends him annual mementos. When Blomqvist's investigation hits a snag, Vanger's partner (Steven Berkoff) suggests he enlist the help of Lisabeth Salander (Rooney Mara). Lisabeth is a ward of the state with violent tendencies, but she's also a brilliant hacker and investigator. Even with Lisabeth's help, the case is tough to crack: the Vangers are an extended family creepshow and each one seems a plausible suspect. However, the case is more complex than either imagines.
Larsson's nihilism (or Steve Zaillan's adaptation anyway) perfectly fits with Fincher's thematic preoccupations. The twisted dynamics of the Vanger family, with corruption, incest and Nazi collaboration, make the protagonists of Thomas Vinterberg's Festen look well-adjusted. There's little love for the Swedish welfare state, with Lisabeth forced to debase herself for a perverted custodian's (Yorick van Wageningen) favors. Fincher's stark mise-en-scene, mixing gruesome violence with snowbound Nordic locations and a brooding Trent Raznor-Atticus Ross score, leads to an engrossingly grim experience. The only drawback is that Fincher takes a long time to set the scene and longer still to leave it; the deliberate pace and length (158 minutes) might turn some viewers off.
Like Zodiac, Dragon Tattoo works better as a character study than a narrative. Lisabeth is sharply drawn and believable in all her particulars: we feel sympathy for her plight early on, but recoil when she mutilates her tormentor. She finds a kindred soul in Lvndqvist, whom she'd investigated in an earlier case, but she can't distinguish her personal attachment with his professional interest. She uses her skills to take down Lvndqvist's enemy, but can't attract his attention as a "friend." Lvndqvist, wrestling public ridicule with personal turmoil, is a perfect counterbalance: both find success only in their work.
Rooney Mara made a strong impression in Fincher's The Social Network and she's superb here. Besides a drastic physical transformation, Mara immerses herself at the role, at turns likeable and frightening, vulnerable and nasty. Lisabeth Salander could be ridiculous but Mara's subdued turn makes her uncannily credible. I'd be interested to check out the Swedish version to see how Noomi Rapace compares.
Daniel Craig gives his best non-Bond performance, a pillar of assurance and righteous determination. The supporting cast is superb, with Christopher Plummer's (The Man Who Would Be King) haunted patriarch, Stellan Skarsgard's (Pirates of the Caribbean) deceptively charming brother and Yorick van Wageningen's slimy social worker registering strongest. Steven Berkoff (Barry Lyndon), Robin Wright (The Conspirator) and Joely Richardson (The Patriot) assay smaller roles.
The Girl in the Dragon Tattoo is a bit long in the tooth and its twists and turns aren't especially novel. It still makes for an interesting experience, not the least for its unique protagonist. I certainly wouldn't mind two sequels.
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